Contact information

Email
sevasti.zervou@cardiov.ox.ac.uk

Telephone
+44 (0)1865 287604

https://www.spc.ox.ac.uk/undergraduate-courses/biochemistry

Sevasti Zervou

BSc (Hons); PhD

Senior Researcher and Stipendiary Lecturer in Biochemistry

Senior Researcher, Cardiovascular Medicine
Stipendiary Lecturer in Cellular Biochemistry, St. Peter's College

Molecular and cellular aspects of heart metabolism

Career

My research career started at the University of Warwick where I completed my PhD in Molecular Medicine, and then took up a Research Fellow position in Endocrinology and Diabetes until 2009. I then joined the Neubauer/Lygate Group in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine as a Senior Researcher, funded by the British Heart Foundation.

My expertise lies within cell-based approaches to investigate and boost cellular energetics in the heart. Towards this goal, and jointly with the rest of our team I have developed in-house assays and contributed with generating in vitro and in vivo models of genetic manipulation. Other aspects of the work involve molecular phenotyping, protein post-translational modifications and -omics studies/analyses.

Since 2021 I am a Stipendiary Lecturer in Cellular Biochemistry at St. Peter's College, Oxford, teaching Signalling, Metabolism, Cell structure and organisation to undergraduate students.

I am an official co-supervisor to graduate students (2010-) and RDM mentor to junior colleagues and involved in several Departmental and University-wide activities, member of the Congregation and RDM Athena SWAN Environment and Culture Committee. Since 2018 I have taken part in public engagement talking to secondary school and Sixth form pupils about cardiovascular research and science careers, both in person and via webinars.

ORCID 0000-0002-4665-2747

Sevasti Zervou — University of Oxford, Medical Sciences Division

Sevasti Zervou | LinkedIn

Key publications

Increasing creatine kinase activity protects against hypoxia / reoxygenation injury but not against anthracycline toxicity in vitro.

Zervou S. et al, (2017), PLoS ONE, 12, e0182994 - e0182994

Living without creatine: Unchanged exercise capacity and response to chronic myocardial infarction in creatine-deficient mice

Lygate CA. et al, (2013), Circulation Research, 112, 945 - 955

Short-term hyperglycaemia causes non-reversible changes in arterial gene expression in a fully 'switchable' in vivo mouse model of diabetes.

Zervou S. et al, (2010), Diabetologia, 53, 2676 - 2687

Role of hyperglycaemia in pathogenesis of diabetic cardiovascular disease

Zervou S. and Khan M., (2007), Vascular Disease Prevention, 4, 125 - 139

Progesterone signaling in human myometrium through two novel membrane G protein-coupled receptors: potential role in functional progesterone withdrawal at term.

Karteris E. et al, (2006), Mol Endocrinol, 20, 1519 - 1534

Secretion of adiponectin by human placenta: differential modulation of adiponectin and its receptors by cytokines.

Chen J. et al, (2006), Diabetologia, 49, 1292 - 1302

Recent publications

Hypercontractility and Oxidative Stress Drive Creatine Kinase Dysfunction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Xu A. et al, (2025), Circulation, 152, 1705 - 1727

S-nitrosocysteamine-functionalised porous graphene oxide nanosheets as nitric oxide delivery vehicles for cardiovascular applications.

Tabish TA. et al, (2024), Redox Biol, 72

Overexpression of mitochondrial creatine kinase preserves cardiac energetics without ameliorating murine chronic heart failure

Cao F. et al, (2020), Basic Research in Cardiology, 115

Over-expression of mitochondrial creatine kinase in the murine heart improves functional recovery and protects against injury following ischaemia-reperfusion.

Whittington HJ. et al, (2018), Cardiovasc Res, 114, 858 - 869

CROSSTALK BETWEEN GLUCOSE AND CREATINE IN THE HEART

Whittington HJ. et al, (2018), HEART, 104, A3 - A3

Impaired cardiac contractile function in AGAT knockout mice devoid of creatine is rescued by homoarginine but not creatine.

Faller KME. et al, (2017), Cardiovascular research

Increasing creatine kinase activity protects against hypoxia / reoxygenation injury but not against anthracycline toxicity in vitro.

Zervou S. et al, (2017), PLoS ONE, 12, e0182994 - e0182994

Dietary Supplementation with Homoarginine Preserves Cardiac Function in a Murine Model of Post-Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure.

Atzler D. et al, (2017), Circulation, 135, 400 - 402

Cardiac dysfunction and peri-weaning mortality in malonyl-coenzyme A decarboxylase (MCD) knockout mice as a consequence of restricting substrate plasticity.

Aksentijević D. et al, (2014), J Mol Cell Cardiol, 75, 76 - 87

Myocardial creatine levels do not influence response to acute oxidative stress in isolated perfused heart.

Aksentijević D. et al, (2014), PLoS One, 9

LOSS OF HOMOARGININE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CARDIAC DYSFUNCTION IN CREATINE-DEFICIENT ARGININE: GLYCINE AMIDINOTRANSFERASE (AGAT) KNOCKOUT MICE

Whittington HJ. et al, (2014), HEART, 100

Metabolic Inflexibility of Malonyl CoA Decarboxylase (MCD) Knockout Mice Leads to Cardiac Remodelling and High Mortality During Peri-Weaning Period

Aksentijevic D. et al, (2014), BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL, 106, 187A - 187A

le for thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) in cellular creatine homeostasis.

Zervou S. et al, (2013), Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 305, E263 - E270

Living without creatine: unchanged exercise capacity and response to chronic myocardial infarction in creatine-deficient mice.

Lygate CA. et al, (2013), Circ Res, 112, 945 - 955

Living without creatine: Unchanged exercise capacity and response to chronic myocardial infarction in creatine-deficient mice

Lygate CA. et al, (2013), Circulation Research, 112, 945 - 955

Chronic Creatine-deficiency is not the Underlying Cause of Cardiac Dysfunction in Mice Lacking the Creatine Biosynthetic Enzyme Arginine: glycine Amidinotransferase

Lygate CA. et al, (2013), CIRCULATION, 128

REGULATION OF CELLULAR CREATINE HOMEOSTASIS: A ROLE FOR THIOREDOXIN INTERACTING PROTEIN (TXNIP)

Zervou S. et al, (2013), HEART, 99, A117 - A117

Moderate elevation of intracellular creatine by targeting the creatine transporter protects mice from acute myocardial infarction.

Lygate CA. et al, (2012), Cardiovasc Res, 96, 466 - 475

Chronic creatine kinase deficiency eventually leads to congestive heart failure, but severity is dependent on genetic background, gender and age.

Lygate CA. et al, (2012), Basic Res Cardiol, 107

Chronic creatine kinase deficiency eventually leads to congestive heart failure, but severity is dependent on genetic background, gender and age

Lygate CA. et al, (2012), Basic Research in Cardiology, 107

Elevated Myocardial Creatine Protects Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Improving Cardiac Energetics

Lygate CA. et al, (2011), CIRCULATION, 124

High-energy phosphotransfer in the failing mouse heart: role of adenylate kinase and glycolytic enzymes.

Aksentijević D. et al, (2010), Eur J Heart Fail, 12, 1282 - 1289

Short-term hyperglycaemia causes non-reversible changes in arterial gene expression in a fully 'switchable' in vivo mouse model of diabetes.

Zervou S. et al, (2010), Diabetologia, 53, 2676 - 2687

ssociation of the 894G>T polymorphism in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene with risk of acute myocardial infarction.

Andrikopoulos GK. et al, (2008), BMC Med Genet, 9

ssociation of the 894G>T polymorphism in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene with risk of acute myocardial infarction

Andrikopoulos GK. et al, (2007), BMC Medical Genetics, 9

Role of hyperglycaemia in pathogenesis of diabetic cardiovascular disease

Zervou S. and Khan M., (2007), Vascular Disease Prevention, 4, 125 - 139

Reversible and irreversible changes in arterial gene expression after initiation of hyperglycaemia in plus -MYCER mice in vivo

Zervou S. et al, (2007), DIABETOLOGIA, 50, S90 - S90

Progesterone signaling in human myometrium through two novel membrane G protein-coupled receptors: potential role in functional progesterone withdrawal at term.

Karteris E. et al, (2006), Mol Endocrinol, 20, 1519 - 1534

Secretion of adiponectin by human placenta: differential modulation of adiponectin and its receptors by cytokines.

Chen J. et al, (2006), Diabetologia, 49, 1292 - 1302

Food deprivation differentially modulates orexin receptor expression and signaling in rat hypothalamus and adrenal cortex.

Karteris E. et al, (2005), Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 288, E1089 - E1100

Food deprivation differentially modulates orexin receptor expression and signaling in rat hypothalamus and adrenal cortex

Karteris E. et al, (2005), American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and Metabolism, 288, E1089 - E1100

Brief inactivation of c-Myc is not sufficient for sustained regression of c-Myc-induced tumours of pancreatic islets and skin epidermis.

Pelengaris S. et al, (2004), BMC Biol, 2

The Glu298→Asp polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene is associated with endometriosis Presented at the First Panhellenic Congress on Endometriosis, which was held in Heraklion, Greece, on November 22 and 23, 2002

Zervou S. et al, (2003), Fertility and Sterility, 80, 1524 - 1525

Steroids mediate the expression of cytoplasmic and membrane-linked components in human myometrial cells.

Zervou S. et al, (2002), Mol Hum Reprod, 8, 597 - 605

Prostaglandins and prostanoid receptors in human pregnancy and parturition.

Slater DM. et al, (2002), J Soc Gynecol Investig, 9, 118 - 124

The 894G T polymorphism in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene influences risk for acute myocardial infarction only in subjects with low risk for coronary events

Andrikopoulos GK. et al, (2002), JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY, 39, 284A - 284A

ssociation of the 894G-T polymorphism in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene with acute myocardial infarction. Final results of the GEMIG study

Andrikopoulos G. et al, (2001), EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL, 22, 382 - 382

Nitric oxide synthase expression and steroid regulation in the uterus of women with menorrhagia.

Zervou S. et al, (1999), Mol Hum Reprod, 5, 1048 - 1054

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Sevasti Zervou

Key publications

Recent publications