Project description
The lasting imprint of childhood stress on the heart
Children who are victims of violence, neglect and abuse may suffer from heart disease in adult life. While the epidemiology is clear, the biology is not. The ERC-funded BETonSTRESS project aims to study this link. It focuses on BET proteins, molecular ‘readers’ that help switch genes on and off by reshaping chromatin. Early findings suggest they may lock stressful experiences into the heart’s genetic programming. Using mouse models and long-term human cohorts, researchers will test whether early adversity rewires cardiac gene expression and whether those changes can be reversed through targeted interventions or supportive environments. The goal is to identify biomarkers of risk and show that the scars of early stress may be biologically measurable and preventable.
Objective
Early life stress (ELS) in childhood due to physical or sexual violence, parental neglect, or trauma has been recently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. However, the mechanisms linking ELS to cardiovascular impairment remain unexplored. Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is emerging as a pivotal process linking environmental exposure to disease phenotypes. Among chromatin remodelers, BET (bromodomain and extra-terminal) proteins are key regulators of gene transcription through their binding to acetylated lysine residues on histone tails via tandem bromodomains. Own preliminary data suggest that BET proteins are heavily involved in transcriptional programs relevant to cardiovascular disease.
In BETonSTRESS, I hypothesize that childhood adversities alter the epigenetic landscape thus leading to maladaptive transcriptional programs and cardiovascular disease development. Using a mouse model of ELS and longitudinal cohorts, I will: i) investigate the chromatin landscape, BET function and cell-specific transcriptional changes in the ELS mouse heart; ii) test the effects of BET editing on cardiovascular function in ELS mice; iii) study the impact of stress-mitigating strategies (environmental enrichment) in preventing chromatin remodeling, BET activation and cardiac dysfunction in ELS mice; iv) test the cardiovascular predictive value of BET-related circulating biomarkers in two longitudinal cohorts of ELS-exposed individuals. The preliminary data suggest a prominent role of BET proteins in epigenetic remodeling and cardiac dysfunction in ELS mice.
BETonSTRESS will: i) unveil the role of BET proteins and chromatin remodeling in ELS-induced cardiovascular dysfunction; ii) set the stage for stress-mitigating approaches and epigenetic therapies in the setting of ELS; iii) identify epigenetic biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in ELS individuals; iv) increase the awareness on the negative role of ELS in the society.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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8006 Zurich
Switzerland
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