Award details

BBSRC DTG studentship: Signalling to chromatin to control cardiac growth

Reference	BBS/E/B/0000L726
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Prof. Llewelyn Roderick
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	Babraham Institute
Department	Babraham Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	118,699
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/10/2008
End date	30/09/2012
Duration	48 months

Abstract

Heart disease is a significant cause of mortality in the developed world. In 2004 it was responsible for 137,700 deaths in the UK, equating to 24% of all deaths. A major predictor of mortality due to heart disease is cardiac hypertrophy (an increase in cell size without increase in cell number), and it is the most important risk factor for heart failure in humans. Hypertrophy can however also be a beneficial adaptive response providing the increased blood supply required during pregnancy and to sustain levels of increased physical activity experienced by athletes. Cardiac hypertrophy is characterised by an increase in the muscle mass/size of the heart due to enlargement of heart cells without any proliferation. The mechanisms responsible for controlling the activation of genes required for hypertrophic growth are not clear. It is also not known how long the stress that induces hypertrophy needs to last for or how long hypertrophy lasts after the stress has been removed. In this project we aim to test the idea that short term stress can modify the DNA in such a way that no more signals are required to continue to cause the expression of genes (copying of information from DNA to RNA and then often into protein) needed for hypertrophy. Consistent with this idea, we also suggest that even when hypertrophy has happened, due to the irreversibility of the modifications to the DNA, hypertrophy persists for a long time. Hypertrophy induced by physiological stress is however reversible. By learning from what happens to the DNA in this form of hypertrophy, we aim to try to understand ways by which disease forms of hypertrophy can be reversed. Using microscopy and molecular biology techniques, we will measure changes in signalling pathways and gene activity associated with heart growth.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Biochemistry & Cell Biology (BCB)
Research Topics	Ageing
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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