Dr. Peter Christmas

PeterChristmas

Professor
Office: 275 Center for the Sciences
Lab: 268 Center for the Sciences
Box 6931, Radford University
Radford, VA 24142-6939, U.S.A.
Tel:(540) 831-6142
E-mail: pchristma2@radford.edu

Courses Taught

  • BIOL 105 - Concepts of Biology
  • BIOL 132 - Biology of Cells & Microorganisms
  • BIOL 160 - Freshman Seminar
  • BIOL 412 - Immunology
  • BIOL 460 - Senior Seminar/Special Topics
  • BIOL 433 - Cancer Biology

About:

My research interests center on inflammation, the response to injury and infection, and my goals are to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate activity of inflammatory mediators called eicosanoids. The current focus of this work involves analysis of a gene designated CYP4F3 (cytochrome P450 4F3) that generates two distinct enzymes by alternative splicing. One of these enzymes is expressed in neutrophils where it inactivates the inflammatory mediator LTB4, and I am investigating the possibility that it protects against inflammatory disease. The second enzyme is expressed in liver and is induced by the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, although the consequences for statin users are unknown.

My specific objectives are to identify regulatory sites in the gene that control tissue-specific CYP4F3 transcription and splicing. We will use this information to search for interventions that alter physiology by modifying CYP4F3 expression.

At a broader level, I am interested in exploring the functions of a CYP4F multi-gene family that contribute to inflammation, lipid homeostasis, and drug metabolism.