Thomas J. Jentsch

Thomas J. Jentsch
Born
Germany
EducationDr. rer. nat., Dr. med.
Alma materFreie Universität Berlin
Known forDiscovery and characterization of CLC chloride channels/Cl⁻/H⁺ exchangers; volume-regulated anion channels (VRAC); acid-activated anion channel (ASOR/TMEM206)
AwardsGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, Louis-Jeantet Prize.
Scientific career
FieldsIon channel biology, chloride channels (CLC family)
InstitutionsLeibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine

Thomas J. Jentsch (born April 24, 1953) is a German molecular physiologist and expert in ion‑transport biology whose work has helped shape the understanding of chloride channel families and their role in human physiology and disease.[1] He leads the Section for Physiology and Pathology of Ion Transport at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin and is affiliated with the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. His research includes the cloning, structural and functional characterisation of the CLC (chloride channel/Cl⁻/H⁺‑exchanger) gene family, the discovery of their roles in human disorders (such as myotonia, osteopetrosis, kidney disease), and the more recent identification of volume‑regulated anion channels (VRAC) and acid‑activated anion channels (ASOR).[2][3]

Early life and education

Thomas J. Jentsch studied both medicine and physics at the Freie Universität Berlin.[3] He obtained doctoral degrees in both the Dr. rer. nat. (physics) and the Dr. med. (medicine) at the same institution.[2] Following his doctoral work, Jentsch carried out post‑doctoral research in transport physiology in Berlin and at the Whitehead Institute/ MIT in the United States, working with Harvey Lodish.[3]

Research and career

In 1988 Jentsch was a founding member of the Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH).[3] In 2006 he moved his laboratory to Berlin, joining the FMP and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC).[3] His laboratory's research spans from molecular and structural biology of ion channels to their integration in cell biology, physiology and disease.[2] Jentsch's group made contributions to the identification and functional analysis of the CLC family of chloride channels and Cl⁻/H⁺ exchangers in mammals.[4] They also more recently found that the volume‑regulated anion channel (VRAC) is composed of LRRC8 heteromers and that an acid‑activated anion channel (ASOR/TMEM206) is another key Cl⁻ channel with physiological relevance.[3]

Major discoveries and contributions

One of Jentsch's main achievements is the cloning and characterisation of the CLC gene family, which comprises nine members in humans and reveals a dramatic diversity of function, from plasma‑membrane chloride channels regulating membrane excitability to intracellular Cl⁻/H⁺ exchangers modulating endolysosomal acidification.[4] His 2015 review “Discovery of CLC transport proteins: cloning, structure, function and pathophysiology” outlines the path from ClC‑0 to a broad understanding of ion transport and disease.[2] His work demonstrated that mutations in CLC genes underlie a range of human genetic diseases - for example, myotonia congenita (CLCN1), Bartter syndrome (ClC‑K/barttin), osteopetrosis (ClC‑7/Ostm1) - thereby linking basic channel biology to translational and clinical relevance.[2] Through his structural‑functional studies, Jentsch helped reveal how channel architecture controls transport properties, and how intracellular chloride channels contribute to vesicular and lysosomal function, neuronal health, bone resorption, and kidney physiology.[5]

Awards and Honours

Thomas J. Jentsch has received numerous awards over his career, reflecting contributions to ion-channel biology. In 1995, he was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for his work on chloride channels.[3] He has been awarded European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants, first in 2011 and again in 2017.[6] In recognition of his scientific achievements, he was granted an Honorary Doctorate (Dr. h.c.) by the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in 2017.[7] He has also received the Hodgkin-Huxley-Katz Prize Lecture (2006), Adolf-Fick Prize (2004), Homer W. Smith Award for Nephrology (2004), and the Ernst Jung Prize for medicine (2001).[3] In 2018, he was awarded the “Gesellschaft braucht Wissenschaft” (“Society needs Science”) Prize by the Stifterverband, and in 2024 he became an Honorary Member of the German Physiological Society.[3] In 2000, Jentsch was awarded the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine by the Fondation Louis-Jeantet.[8] He is also a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.[9]

Selected publications

  • Jentsch, T. J. Discovery of CLC transport proteins: cloning, structure, function and pathophysiology. Journal of Physiology 593, no. 18 (2015): 4091–4109. DOI: 10.1113/JP270043.[2]
  • Jentsch, T. J. The CLC chloride channel family. Pflügers Archiv – European Journal of Physiology 437, Suppl 1 (1999): F172–F175.[10]
  • Jentsch, T. J. CLC chloride channels and transporters: structure, function and pathophysiology. Physiological Reviews 82, no. 2 (2002): 503–568.[5]
  • Voss, F. K.; Ullrich, F.; Münch, J. et al. (includes T. J. Jentsch). Identification of LRRC8 heteromers as an essential component of the volume-regulated anion channel VRAC. Science 344, no. 6184 (2014): 634–638.[11]
  • Jentsch, T. J. Ion channel defects and human disease: from CLCN1 to CLCN7. Frontiers in Pharmacology 8 (2017): 151.[12]
  • Estevez, R.; Jentsch, T. J. CLC-K/barttin channels and Bartter syndrome type IV: from channel to disease. Current Biology 11, no. 13 (2001): R565–R568.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Twenty-five years ago Professor Thomas Jentsch opened up a new field of research". Medical Xpress.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jentsch, Thomas J. (15 September 2015). "Discovery of CLC transport proteins: cloning, structure, function and pathophysiology". The Journal of Physiology. 593 (18): 4091–4109. doi:10.1113/JP270043. ISSN 1469-7793.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Thomas J. Jentsch". leibniz-fmp.de. 18 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "CLC Cl - channels and transporters". www.mdc-berlin.de. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  5. ^ a b Jentsch, Thomas J.; Stein, Valentin; Weinreich, Frank; Zdebik, Anselm A. (2002). "Molecular Structure and Physiological Function of Chloride Channels". Physiological Reviews. 82 (2): 503–568. doi:10.1152/physrev.00029.2001. ISSN 0031-9333.
  6. ^ "NeuroCure researchers awarded prestigious EU grant - NeuroCure | Cluster of Excellence". neurocure.de. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  7. ^ "Honorary doctorate conferred on Thomas J. Jentsch". www.mdc-berlin.de. 2025-11-14. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  8. ^ "Prize Winners – Fondation Louis-Jeantet". jeantet.ch.
  9. ^ "Mitglied – Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften". www.bbaw.de. Retrieved 2025-11-25.
  10. ^ Jentsch, T. J.; Friedrich, Thomas; Schriever, Antje; Yamada, Hideomi (1999-04-01). "The CLC chloride channel family". Pflügers Archiv. 437 (6): 783–795. doi:10.1007/s004240050847. ISSN 1432-2013.
  11. ^ Voss, Felizia K.; Ullrich, Florian; Münch, Jonas; Lazarow, Katina; Lutter, Darius; Mah, Nancy; Andrade-Navarro, Miguel A.; von Kries, Jens P.; Stauber, Tobias; Jentsch, Thomas J. (2014-05-09). "Identification of LRRC8 Heteromers as an Essential Component of the Volume-Regulated Anion Channel VRAC". Science. 344 (6184): 634–638. doi:10.1126/science.1252826. ISSN 0036-8075.
  12. ^ Hubner, C. A. (2002-10-01). "Ion channel diseases". Human Molecular Genetics. 11 (20): 2435–2445. doi:10.1093/hmg/11.20.2435.
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