Katrien De Clercq

TRPM3 is a temperature- and neurosteroid-sensitive plasma membrane cation channel expressed in a variety of neuronal and non-neuronal cells. Recently, rare de novo variants in TRPM3 were identified in individuals with developmental and epil…

BACKGROUND: Early embryo implantation is a complex phenomenon characterized by the presence of an implantation-competent blastocyst and a receptive endometrium. Embryo development and endometrial receptivity must be synchronized and an adeq…

The transient receptor potential (TRP) channel TRPV2 is widely expressed in a variety of different cell types and tissues. However, elucidating the exact biological functions of TRPV2 is significantly hampered by the lack of selective pharm…

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels play prominent roles in ion homeostasis by their ability to control cation influx. Mouse placentation is governed by the processes of trophoblast proliferation, invasion, differentiation, and fusi…

Calcium (Ca2+) is one of the most universal secondary messengers, owing its success to the immense concentration gradient across the plasma membrane. Dysregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis can result in severe cell dysfunction, thereby initiatin…

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a strictly regulated process that is indispensable for normal development, but it can result in fibrosis and cancer progression. It encompasses a complete alteration of the cellular transcri…

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels excel in cellular sensing as they allow rapid ion influx across the plasma membrane in response to a variety of extracellular cues. Recently, a distinct TRP mRNA expression signature was observed …

In mice, the labyrinth zone of the placenta exchanges nutrients and gases between mother and fetus. This placental zone is complex in structure and defects in its morphogenesis can compromise substrate exchange and thus, fetal growth and vi…

Background and purposeThe transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel TRPM3 functions as a noxious heat sensor, plays a key role in acute pain sensation and inflammatory hyperalgesia in rodents. Despite its potential as a novel analgesic…

Endometriosis is a prevalent gynecologic disease, defined by dysfunctional endometrium-like lesions outside of the uterine cavity. These lesions are presumably established via retrograde menstruation, i.e., endometrial tissue that flows bac…

Successful pregnancy requires the establishment of a complex dialogue between the implanting embryo and the endometrium. Knowledge regarding molecular candidates involved in this early communication process is inadequate due to limited acce…

Genetic engineering of the mouse genome identified many genes that are essential for embryogenesis. Remarkably, the prevalence of concomitant placental defects in embryonic lethal mutants is highly underestimated and indicates the importanc…

Calcium plays a key role in many different steps of the reproduction process, from germ cell maturation to placental development. However, the exact function and regulation of calcium throughout subsequent reproductive events remains rather…

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease that is characterized by the presence of functional endometrial-like lesions in the abdominal cavity. Aside from epithelial cells, these lesions consist of stromal cells that have the capacity…

BackgroundTo induce endometrial decidualization in rodents, an intrauterine oil stimulus can be delivered via the nontraumatic vagina or via the traumatic laparotomy. However, there is considerable variation in amount of decidualization usi…

Decidualization is a progesterone-dependent differentiation process of endometrial stromal cells and is a prerequisite for successful embryo implantation. Although many efforts have been made to reveal the underlying mechanisms of deciduali…

STUDY QUESTION: Does mouse endometrial epithelial cells and stromal cells have a similar transient receptor potential (TRP)-channel expression profile and to that found in the human endometrium? SUMMARY ANSWER: Mouse endometrial epithelial …

STUDY QUESTION: Are members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel superfamily functionally expressed in the human endometrial stroma? SUMMARY ANSWER: The Ca(2+)-permeable ion channels TRPV2, TRPV4, TRPC6 and TRPM7 are functional…