Thomas G. Oertner

Curriculum vitae

1996: Diploma in Biology at the Albert Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg

1992-93: Year abroad at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland

1997-99: PhD thesis in Alexander Borst's lab at the Friedrich-Miescher-Laboratory in Tübingen (Max Planck Society). I investigated calcium signaling in visual interneurons of the blowfly and in isolated neurons of the locust. During my PhD, I was a member of the "Graduiertenkolleg Neurobiologie Tübingen".

2000-03: Postdoc in Karel Svoboda's lab in Cold Spring Harbor, NY. To investigate release probabilities and response amplitudes at single synapses, I measured postsynaptic calcium transients in single spines by two-photon laser-scanning microscopy. Experience the beautiful spatial and temporal resolution of this technique in a movie of postsynaptic calcium signals. This project was supported by the Swartz Foundation. Historic pictures of the Cold Spring Harbor Climbing Club have been archived by Emiliano Rial-Verde.

2003-2011, I led a research group at the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel which is part of the Novartis Research Foundation. To stimulate individual cells in intact tissue, we used the light-gated ion channel Channelrhodopsin-2 and two-photon glutamate uncaging. With these techniques, we discovered that mGluR-dependent depression is restricted to spine synapses containing a 'spine apparatus'. We also found evidence for very strong depolarization of individual spines during synaptic transmission, an indication of electrical isolation of dendritic spines from their parent dendrites. Big thanks to our longtime collaborators Benny Bettler and Peter Hegemann !
Our 2011 lab trip to the Stanserhorn (click to enlage). More historic lab pictures can be found here, as well as our model of consciousness.

2005-2008, I was on the faculty of the summer 'Neurobiology' course at the MBL in Woods Hole, MA. Here is an animation that Mark Terasaki developed during the 2008 course to demonstrate how scattering of light in tissue can help you to detect photons. I highly recommend the Woods Hole courses- I'll be going again this summer! (fried squid - mmm!)

Since October 2011, I am professor for neuroscience at the University of Hamburg. Our new lab at the Center for Molecular Neurobiology Hamburg (ZMNH) (Department of Synaptic Physiology) is under construction!

Publications:

1. T. G. Oertner (2011) The Lego-logic of optogenetics. (News and Views)
   Nature Methods 8(12): 2011-1013. PDF
2. J. Hao, T. G. Oertner (2011) Depolarization gates spine calcium transients and spike-timing-dependent potentiation. (Review)
   Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Nov.1 (Epub ahead of print) PDF
3. C. Blumer, C. Vivien, T. G. Oertner, T. Vetter (2011) Fluorescence image segmentation by using digitally reconstructed fluorescence images.
   Proceedings of the Sixth Workshop on Microscopic Image Analysis with Applications in Biology (MIAAB 2011), Heidelberg. PDF
4. A. Berndt, P. Schoenenberger, J. Mattis, K. M. Tye, K. Deisseroth, P. Hegemann, T. G. Oertner (2011) High-efficiency Channelrhodopsins for fast neuronal stimulation at low light levels.
   PNAS 108 (18) 7595-7600. PDF
   See also Research Highlight in Nature Methods 8(6), June 2011, and summary in Open Optogenetics.
5. J. S. Wiegert, T. G. Oertner (2011) Shapeshifting for memory: Biochemical and electrical signaling in dendritic spines. (Review)
   e-Neuroforum 2011(2): 6-12. PDF
   German version: Neuroforum 1/11: 12-20. PDF
6. M. Stierl, P. Stumpf, D. Udwari, R. Gueta, R. Hagedorn, A. Losi, W. Gärtner W, L. Petereit, M. Efetova, M. Schwarzel, T.G. Oertner, G. Nagel, P. Hegemann (2011) Light-modulation of cellular cAMP by a small bacterial photoactivated adenylyl cyclase, bPAC, of the soil bacterium Beggiatoa.
   J Biol Chem. 286(2):1181-8. PDF
7. N. Holbro, A. Grunditz, J. S. Wiegert, T. G. Oertner (2010) AMPA receptors gate spine Ca2+ transients and spike-timing-dependent potentiation.
   PNAS 107 (36) 15975-80. PDF
8. N. Guetg, S.A. Aziz, N. Holbro, R. Turecek, T. Rose, S. Riad, M. Gassmann, S. Moes, P. Jenoe, T.G. Oertner, E. Casanova, B. Bettler (2010) NMDA Receptor-Dependent GABAB Receptor Internalization via CaMKII Phosphorylation of Serine 867 in GABAB1.
   PNAS 107 (31) 13924-29. PDF
9. P. Schoenenberger, Y.P. Zhang Schärer, T. G. Oertner (2010) Channelrhodopsin as a tool to study synaptic transmission and plasticity. (Review)
   Exp Physiol 96.1: 34-39. PDF
10. J. Krol, V. Busskamp, I. Markievicz, M. B. Stadler, S. Ribi, J. Richter, J. Duebel, S. Bicker, H.J. Fehling, D. Schubeler, T. G. Oertner, G. Schratt, M. Bibel, B. Roska, W. Filipowicz (2010) Characterizing light-regulated retinal microRNAs reveals rapid turnover as a common property of neuronal microRNAs.
    Cell 141(4): 618-31. PDF
11. P. Schoenenberger, D. Gerosa, T. G. Oertner (2009) Temporal control of immediate early gene induction by light.
    PLoS ONE 4(12): e8185. | doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008185 PDF
12. N. Holbro, A. Grunditz, T. G. Oertner (2009) Differential distribution of endoplasmic reticulum controls metabotropic signaling and plasticity at hippocampal synapses.
    PNAS 106: 15055-15060. PDF S.I.
13. T. G. Oertner (2009) How do synapses measure milliseconds?
    Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, April 2009, Volume 3, Article 7. PDF
14. A. Grunditz, N. Holbro, L. Tian, Y. Zuo, T. G. Oertner (2008) Spine neck plasticity controls postsynaptic calcium signals through electrical compartmentalization.
    Journal of Neuroscience 28(50): 13457-66. PDF S1 S2 S3 S4 NEURON model
15. Y-P. Zhang, N. Holbro, T. G. Oertner (2008) Optical induction of plasticity at single synapses reveals input-specific accumulation of aCaMKII.
    PNAS 105(33): 12039-44. PDF S.I.
16. P. Schoenenberger, A. Grunditz, T. Rose, T. G. Oertner (2008) Optimizing the spatial resolution of Channelrhodopsin activation.
    Brain Cell Biology 36(1-4): 119-27 PDF
17. Y-P. Zhang, T. G. Oertner (2007) Optical induction of synaptic plasticity using a light-sensitive channel.
    Nature Methods 4(2): 139-141. PDF
18. R. Vigot, S. Barbieri, H. Bräuner-Osborne, R. Turecek, R. Shigemoto, YP. Zhang, R. Lujan, L.H. Jacobson, B. Biermann, JM. Fritschy, CM. Vacher, M. Müller, G. Sansig, N. Guetg, J.F. Cryan, K. Kaupmann, M. Gassmann M, T.G. Oertner, B. Bettler (2006) Differential compartmentalization and distinct functions of GABA(B) receptor variants.
    Neuron 50(4): 589-601. PDF
19. T. G. Oertner (2006) The bright side of life. (Book review)
    Nature 440, 280-280. PDF
20. T. G. Oertner, A. Matus (2004) Calcium regulation of actin dynamics in dendritic spines. (Review)
    Cell Calcium 37(5): 477-482. PDF
21. I. Brunig, S. Kaech, H. Brinkhaus, T.G. Oertner, A. Matus (2004) Influx of extracellular calcium regulates actin-dependent morphological plasticity in dendritic spines.
    Neuropharmacology 47(5): 669-676. PDF
22. R. Yasuda, E. A. Nimchinsky, V. Scheuss, T. A. Pologruto, T. G. Oertner, B. L. Sabatini, K. Svoboda (2004) Imaging calcium dynamics in small neuronal compartments.
    Science STKE Vol. 2004 (219), pl5. PDF
23. E. A. Nimchinsky, R. Yasuda, T. G. Oertner, K. Svoboda (2004) The number of glutamate receptors opened by synaptic stimulation in single hippocampal spines.
    Journal of Neuroscience 24: 2054-2064. PDF
24. T. G. Oertner (2002) Functional imaging of single synapses in brain slices.
    Experimental Physiology 87.6, 733-736. PDF
25. T. G. Oertner, K. Svoboda (2002) Subliminal messages in hippocampal pyramidal cells. (Perspectives)
    Journal of Physiology 543(2): 397. PDF.
26. T. G. Oertner, B. L. Sabatini, E. A. Nimchinsky, K. Svoboda (2002) Facilitation at single synapses probed with optical quantal analysis.
    Nature Neuroscience 5 (7): 657-664. PDF
27. B. L. Sabatini, T. G. Oertner, K. Svoboda (2002) The life cycle of Ca2+ ions in dendritic spines.
    Neuron 33: 439-452. PDF
28. T. G. Oertner, T. M. Brotz, A. Borst (2001) Mechanisms of dendritic calcium signaling in fly neurons.
    Journal of Neurophysiology 85 (1): 439-447. PDF
29. T. G. Oertner (2000) Mechanismen dendritischer Kalziumdynamik: Eine in-vitro-Studie an Insektenneuronen. (Dissertation)
    Medien Verlag Köhler, Tübingen, ISBN 3-932694-66-X
30. T. G. Oertner, S. Single, A. Borst (1999) Separation of voltage- and ligand-gated calcium influx in locust neurons by optical imaging.
    Neuroscience Letters 274 (2): 95-98. PDF