Centre of Biosciences SAS
Topic
Effect of acute or chronic stress on intracellular Ca2+ signaling pathway
PhD. program
Animal Physiology
Year of admission
2026
Name of the supervisor
Mgr. Marta Gaburjáková, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Faculty of Natural Sciences of Comenius University in Bratislava
Annotation
Stress is defined as an organism’s response to external stressors. Living organisms are exposed to various stressors all through their life, when the first chronic exposure happens even before the birth (e.g. prenatal stress). Chronic stress predominantly impacts cardiovascular and neuronal systems, resulting in the onset of numerous pathologies that stand as major global contributors to disability and mortality. Stress-induced cardiovascular and neuropathologies frequently co-occur, leading to a worsened prognosis for both. These findings suggest that during chronic stress, the same signaling pathways are affected in both the brain and the heart. In contrast to chronic stress, acute stress is an evolutionarily important adaptive response to threat, termed the ‘fight-or-flight’ response. However, in the presence of point mutations in the intracellular Ca²⁺ channel (ryanodine receptor), the acute stress response poses a significant risk for cardiac arrhythmias. The molecular mechanisms of this arrhythmogenic disorder, which is symptomatically manifested only during emotional stress or physical activity, are not well understood. The objective of the PhD thesis is to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the remodeling of intracellular Ca²⁺ signaling pathway, which translates diverse stimuli into specific cellular responses. Particular emphasis will be placed on the effects of prenatal stress on the interplay between glucocorticoid (stress hormone) and Ca²⁺ signaling pathways in the heart and brain of adult male and female rats (in vivo model of stress). Additionally, the effects of acute stress will be examined in an in vitro stress model at the level of single ryanodine receptors. The primary experimental approach will combine in vitro electrophysiological techniques with a range of complementary biochemical methods.