CONTACT

Dr. Konstantina CHACHLAKI, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator
Group Leader

Send message

Career

Our research team is dedicated to uncovering the pivotal role of nitric oxide (NO) in neuroendocrinology, from neonatal development to adult physiology. A key breakthrough has been the development of an innovative biosensor that enables precise monitoring of NO dynamics, providing new insights into its regulatory mechanisms.

This has allowed us to explore NO’s interactions with key neuroendocrine players, including GnRH neurons, highlighting its essential role in neurodevelopment and endocrine function. Our work has shown NO’s fundamental role in minipuberty—a critical phase shaping reproductive function, metabolism, and brain maturation.

Disruptions in this process, particularly in preterm infants, may lead to long-term health challenges. By bridging fundamental and clinical research, we aim to harness NO’s potential for early-life interventions, addressing prematurity, reducing morbidity, and improving long-term quality of life.

Discover Publications

Dr. Konstantina Chachlaki earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Lille in 2016, following postdoctoral studies at the University Hospital of Lausanne’s Endocrinology Department in Switzerland. Her academic background includes a prestigious Master’s degree in Integrative Biology and Physiology from the École Normale Supérieure and Pierre and Marie Curie University, as well as in Brain and Mind Sciences from University College London (UCL).

During her time at UCL, she cultivated her expertise in nitric oxide (NO) science under the mentorship of Professor John Garthwaite, a leading figure in the field. Since 2020, Dr. Chachlaki has been a member of the Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain team at Inserm UMR-S 1172, where her research focuses on the critical role of NO in neuroendocrinology, spanning neonatal development to adult physiology.

She is currently the Scientific Coordinator for the European H2020 miniNO project, coordinated by Dr Vincent Prevot, which investigates the links between defective minipuberty and both mental and non-mental disorders. In addition to her work with Inserm, Dr. Chachlaki is a visiting researcher at the University Research Institute of Athens, under the direction of the renowned endocrinologist and UNESCO Chair Professor George Chrousos, collaborating with one of Europe’s largest pediatric research complexes, which allows her to expand the clinical component of her work in childhood and adolescent health.

Dr. Chachlaki’s innovative research has been recognized with several accolades, including the 2024 Janine Courrier Prize from the French Academy of Sciences. She is actively involved in multiple scientific committees, including the Research Group in Reproduction (2023-2026), the French Society of Endocrinology (2023-2026), and the Hellenic Society for Neurosciences (2017-2019). Dr. Chachlaki is committed to bridging the gap between scientific research and real-world health challenges, contributing to public dissemination efforts, such as her participation in the European Health Parliament since 2019.

Delli V, Seux CA, Dehame J, Nair S, Lhomme T, Chachlaki K*. The preoptic Kisspeptin/nNOS/GnRH (KiNG) neuronal network regulates rhythmic LH release through a dual activation-inhibition mechanism. bioRxiv 2024.
Delli V, Seux CA, Dehame J, Nair S, Lhomme T, Chachlaki K* (*corresponding author)
Long-COVID cognitive impairments and reproductive hormone deficits in men may stem from GnRH neuronal death. EBioMedicine. 2023 Oct;96:104784. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104784. Epub 2023 Sep 13. PMID: 37713808
Sauve F*, Nampoothiri S*, Clarke SA*, Fernandois D*, Coelho FF*, Dewisme J, Mills E, Ternier G, Cotellessa L, Iglesias-Garcia C, Mueller-Fielitz H, Lebouvier T, Perbet R, Florent V, Baroncini M, Sharif A, Ereno-Orbea J, Mercado-Gomez M, Palazon A, Mattot V, Pasquier F, Catteau-Jonard S, Martinez-Chantar M, Hrabovszky E, Jourdain M, Deplanque D, Morelli A, Guarnieri G, Storme L, Robil C, Trottein F, Nogueiras R, Schwaninger M, Pigny P ‡, Poissy J ‡, Chachlaki K ‡, Maurage CA ‡, Giacobini P ‡, Dhillo W, S. Rasika ‡, Prevot V ‡. (*,‡ equal contribution)
Male minipuberty involves the gonad-independent activation of preoptic nNOS neurons. Free Radic Biol Med. 2023 Jan;194:199-208. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.11.040 PMID: 36470319
Delli V, Dehame J, Franssen D, Rasika S, Parent AS, Prevot V, Chachlaki K * (*corresponding author)
NOS1 mutations in humans cause hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with sensory and intellectual comorbidities, reversible experimentally by NO treatment at minipuberty. Sci Transl Med. 2022 Oct 5;14(665):eabh2369. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abh2369. PMID: 36197968
Chachlaki K*, Messina A*, Delli V, Leysen V, Maurnyi C, Papadakis G, Shruti S, Kapanidou M, Skrapits K, Cheng X, Jesse R, S Rasika, Quinton R, Niedziela M, L’Allemand D, Pignatelli D, Dirlewander M, Lang-Muritano M, Kempf P, Catteau-Jonard S, Ciofi P, Niederländer NJ, Tena-Sempere M, Storme L, Avan P, Hrabovszky E, Garthwaite J, Santoni F, Giacobini P, Pitteloud N‡, Prevot V‡. (*,‡ equal contribution)
Female sexual behavior is disrupted in a preclinical mouse model of PCOS via an attenuated hypothalamic nitric oxide pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2022 Jul 26;119(30):e2203503119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2203503119. PMID: 35867816.
Silva MSB, Decoster L, Trova S, Mimouni NEH, Delli V, Chachlaki K, Yu Q, Boehm U, Prevot V, Giacobini P.
A microRNA switch regulates the rise in hypothalamic GnRH production before puberty. Nat Neurosci. 2016 Jun;19(6):835-44. doi: 10.1038/nn.4298. PMID: 27135215
Messina A, Langlet F*, Chachlaki K*, Roa J, Rasika S, Jouy N, Gallet S, Gaytan F, Parkash J, Tena-Sempere M, Giacobini P, Prevot V. (*equal contribution)
Leptin-dependent neuronal NO signaling in the preoptic hypothalamus facilitates reproduction. J Clin Invest. 2014 Jun;124(6):2550-9. doi: 10.1172/JCI65928. PMID: 24812663
Bellefontaine N, Chachlaki K, Parkash J, Vanacker C, Colledge W, d'Anglemont de Tassigny X, Garthwaite J, Bouret SG, Prevot V.
Yif1B Is Involved in the Anterograde Traffic Pathway and the Golgi Architecture. Traffic. 2015 Sep;16(9):978-93. doi: 10.1111/tra.12306. PMID: 26077767.
Alterio J, Masson J, Diaz J, Chachlaki K, Salman H, Areias J, Al Awabdh S, Emerit MB, Darmon M.
Improved genetically-encoded, FlincG-type fluorescent biosensors for neural cGMP imaging. Front Mol Neurosci. 2013 Sep 24;6:26. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2013.00026. PMID: 24068983
Bhargava Y, Hampden-Smith K, Chachlaki K, Wood KC, Vernon J, Allerston CK, Batchelor AM, Garthwaite J.

2024
• French Academy of Sciences, Janine Courrier Prize

2023
• French Society of Endocrinology (SFE), Best Publication Award

2022
Laureate and coordinator of a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Grant

2019
” Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, FRM -Espoirs de la recherche ” Postdoctoral fellowship

2018
Laureate and coordinator of a Projet Fédératif Hospitalo-Universitaire (FHU) “1000 jours pour la santé” Grant

2017
• French Society of Neuroendocrinology (SNE), Young Researcher Award

2017
• Association for the Study of Congenital Anomalies, Young Researcher Walbaum Award

2017
• University of Lille Sciences et Technologies (ULille), International PhD thesis Award

2013
• Graduate Doctoral School Biology and Health, University of Lille, Doctoral fellowship

Selected publications

Delli V, Seux CA, Dehame J, Nair S, Lhomme T, Chachlaki K*. The preoptic Kisspeptin/nNOS/GnRH (KiNG) neuronal network regulates rhythmic LH release through a dual activation-inhibition mechanism. bioRxiv 2024.
Delli V, Seux CA, Dehame J, Nair S, Lhomme T, Chachlaki K* (*corresponding author)
Long-COVID cognitive impairments and reproductive hormone deficits in men may stem from GnRH neuronal death. EBioMedicine. 2023 Oct;96:104784. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104784. Epub 2023 Sep 13. PMID: 37713808
Sauve F*, Nampoothiri S*, Clarke SA*, Fernandois D*, Coelho FF*, Dewisme J, Mills E, Ternier G, Cotellessa L, Iglesias-Garcia C, Mueller-Fielitz H, Lebouvier T, Perbet R, Florent V, Baroncini M, Sharif A, Ereno-Orbea J, Mercado-Gomez M, Palazon A, Mattot V, Pasquier F, Catteau-Jonard S, Martinez-Chantar M, Hrabovszky E, Jourdain M, Deplanque D, Morelli A, Guarnieri G, Storme L, Robil C, Trottein F, Nogueiras R, Schwaninger M, Pigny P ‡, Poissy J ‡, Chachlaki K ‡, Maurage CA ‡, Giacobini P ‡, Dhillo W, S. Rasika ‡, Prevot V ‡. (*,‡ equal contribution)
Male minipuberty involves the gonad-independent activation of preoptic nNOS neurons. Free Radic Biol Med. 2023 Jan;194:199-208. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.11.040 PMID: 36470319
Delli V, Dehame J, Franssen D, Rasika S, Parent AS, Prevot V, Chachlaki K * (*corresponding author)
NOS1 mutations in humans cause hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with sensory and intellectual comorbidities, reversible experimentally by NO treatment at minipuberty. Sci Transl Med. 2022 Oct 5;14(665):eabh2369. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abh2369. PMID: 36197968
Chachlaki K*, Messina A*, Delli V, Leysen V, Maurnyi C, Papadakis G, Shruti S, Kapanidou M, Skrapits K, Cheng X, Jesse R, S Rasika, Quinton R, Niedziela M, L’Allemand D, Pignatelli D, Dirlewander M, Lang-Muritano M, Kempf P, Catteau-Jonard S, Ciofi P, Niederländer NJ, Tena-Sempere M, Storme L, Avan P, Hrabovszky E, Garthwaite J, Santoni F, Giacobini P, Pitteloud N‡, Prevot V‡. (*,‡ equal contribution)
Female sexual behavior is disrupted in a preclinical mouse model of PCOS via an attenuated hypothalamic nitric oxide pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2022 Jul 26;119(30):e2203503119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2203503119. PMID: 35867816.
Silva MSB, Decoster L, Trova S, Mimouni NEH, Delli V, Chachlaki K, Yu Q, Boehm U, Prevot V, Giacobini P.
A microRNA switch regulates the rise in hypothalamic GnRH production before puberty. Nat Neurosci. 2016 Jun;19(6):835-44. doi: 10.1038/nn.4298. PMID: 27135215
Messina A, Langlet F*, Chachlaki K*, Roa J, Rasika S, Jouy N, Gallet S, Gaytan F, Parkash J, Tena-Sempere M, Giacobini P, Prevot V. (*equal contribution)
Leptin-dependent neuronal NO signaling in the preoptic hypothalamus facilitates reproduction. J Clin Invest. 2014 Jun;124(6):2550-9. doi: 10.1172/JCI65928. PMID: 24812663
Bellefontaine N, Chachlaki K, Parkash J, Vanacker C, Colledge W, d'Anglemont de Tassigny X, Garthwaite J, Bouret SG, Prevot V.
Yif1B Is Involved in the Anterograde Traffic Pathway and the Golgi Architecture. Traffic. 2015 Sep;16(9):978-93. doi: 10.1111/tra.12306. PMID: 26077767.
Alterio J, Masson J, Diaz J, Chachlaki K, Salman H, Areias J, Al Awabdh S, Emerit MB, Darmon M.
Improved genetically-encoded, FlincG-type fluorescent biosensors for neural cGMP imaging. Front Mol Neurosci. 2013 Sep 24;6:26. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2013.00026. PMID: 24068983
Bhargava Y, Hampden-Smith K, Chachlaki K, Wood KC, Vernon J, Allerston CK, Batchelor AM, Garthwaite J.

Team members

Virginia Delli
Postdocs
Italy
Clarisse Quignon
Postdocs
France
Charles-Antoine Seux
Ph.D. Student
France