Thomas C.

Südhof
Thomas Christian Südhof (German pronunciation:
[ˈtoːmas ˈzyːtˌhoːf] ; born December 22, 1955), Thomas Südhof
ForMemRS, is a German-American biochemist known
for his study of synaptic transmission. Currently, he is
a professor in the school of medicine in the department
of molecular and cellular physiology, and by courtesy
in neurology, and in psychiatry and behavioral sciences
at Stanford University.[2][5]

Südhof, James Rothman and Randy Schekman are the

2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureates
for their work on vesicle trafficking.[6]

Thomas Südhof retracted Lin et. al. 2023 (https://www.

pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2403021121) research paper
published in PNAS from his lab due to falsified data (h
ttps://pubpeer.com/publications/DAF32F6DB6C16633
7E5381F769AE52), and since mid-2022, PubPeer (http
s://pubpeer.com/search?q=Thomas+C.+S%C3%BCdho Südhof in 2024
f)[7] commenters including Elisabeth Bik have flagged Born Thomas Christian Südhof
more than 40 of Südhof’s papers, which explore how December 22, 1955
neurons communicate across synapses.[8] Göttingen, Germany
Nationality German
American[3][4]
Early life and education Alma mater RWTH Aachen University
University of Göttingen (PhD)
A German native, Südhof was born in Göttingen in
Known for Presynaptic Neuron
1955. He spent his childhood in Göttingen and
Synaptic Transmission
Hannover. He studied music in his youth, specifically
the bassoon, and has credited his bassoon instructor, Spouse Lu Chen
Herbert Tauscher, as his "most influential teacher".[9] Awards Lasker Award (2013)
He was a graduate from the Hannover Waldorf School
Nobel Prize (2013)
in 1975. Südhof studied medicine at the RWTH
ForMemRS (2017)[1]
Aachen University, Harvard University, and then the
University of Göttingen. In Göttingen Südhof worked Scientific career
on his doctoral thesis, in which he described the Fields Biology
structure and function of chromaffin cells, at the Max
Institutions Stanford University[2]
Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in the lab of
University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center
Victor P. Whittaker. In 1982, he received his MD in Thesis Die biophysikalische Struktur der
medical science (Dr.med.) from the University of chromaffinen Granula im Lichte
Göttingen.[10] ihres Osmometerverhaltens und
ihrer osmotischen Lyse (http://ww
w.worldcat.org/oclc/91694400
Career and research 1) (1982)
Doctoral Victor P. Whittaker
After a brief postdoctoral fellowship in Whittaker's lab, advisor
Südhof moved to the United States in 1983, where he
Website hhmi.org/scientists/thomas-c-
began postdoctoral training in the department of
sudhof (http://hhmi.org/scientists/
molecular genetics at the University of Texas Health
thomas-c-sudhof)
Science Center (now the UT Southwestern Medical
Center) in Dallas, Texas, under the supervision of med.stanford.edu/sudhoflab
Michael Stuart Brown and Joseph L. Goldstein. /about-thomas-sudhof.html (htt
p://med.stanford.edu/sudhoflab/a
During his postdoctoral research fellowship, Südhof bout-thomas-sudhof.html)
worked to describe the role of the LDL receptor in
cholesterol metabolism, for which Brown and Goldstein were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in 1985. Südhof finished his postdoctoral training in 1986 and was elected to be an investigator
of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He then established his own laboratory at UT Southwestern
Medical Center where he focused on the molecular and cellular neurosciences centered on synapses for
over 20 years.

In 2008, Südhof moved to Stanford University and is currently the Avram Goldstein Professor in the
School of Medicine as well as a Professor of Molecular & Cellular Physiology, Psychiatry, and
Neurology.

Südhof laid the foundations for his scientific career studying the synapse early while studying the
mechanisms of neurotransmitter dependent hormone release from neuroendocrine cells for his doctoral
thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry. Südhof described the structure and function
of chromaffin cells which are responsible for the release of epinephrine, norepinephrine and endorphins
from the medulla of the adrenal gland. Innervated by sympathetic nervous system, chromaffin cells are
important in the initiation of the fight-or-flight response of animals when exposed to threatening stimuli.

After completing his thesis in 1983, Südhof moved to UT Southwestern Medical Center for his
postdoctoral training where he began researching in the department of molecular genetics under the
supervision of Joseph L. Goldstein and Michael Stuart Brown. While a postdoctoral fellow, Südhof
cloned the gene for the low-density lipoprotein receptor and, soon after, was able to explain its
transcriptional regulation by cholesterol. When LDL receptors, found concentrated in the liver, bind
specific free blood cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, they are internalized and recycled removing the
cholesterol from circulation. This process is a primary source of blood cholesterol regulation and
variations in its efficiency were shown to be present in familial hypercholesterolemia. As a result of the
discovery, LDL receptor function had also elucidated the principle of receptor-mediated endocytosis—a
now universally understood process in cell biology. Goldstein and Brown were awarded the Nobel Prize
in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery in 1985.
After finishing postdoctoral training, Südhof started his own laboratory at UT Southwestern in 1986.
Briefly continuing work with Goldstein and Brown, Südhof helped identify a DNA element in the LDL
gene that produced sterol mediated end-product repression when inserted in a viral promoter. This
domain, known as a sterol regulatory sequence, directly participates in the regulation of sterol
biosynthesis. Sterols are a major class of biomolecule and critical for life. Important sterols in humans
include cholesterol and steroid hormones. Discovery of sterol regulatory elements and LDL receptor
function led to the subsequent development of statin derived cholesterol medications such as atorvastatin
(Lipitor)—the top-selling branded pharmaceutical drug in the world in 2008.

Südhof started his independent research career in neuroscience since 1986 and open the field of
molecular neuroscience for synaptic transmission especially from the presynaptic nerve terminal
perspective. Until Südhof began his work, majority of neuroscience research was aimed at the
postsynaptic neuron and its role in learning and memory. Indeed, Thomas Südhof is credited with
discovering much of the machinery mediating neurotransmitter release and presynaptic plasticity in his
21 years at UT Southwestern. Südhof began with the discovery of synaptotagmins and their role in
neurotransmitter release from the presynaptic neuron. Synaptotagmin, a transmembrane protein found in
neurosecretory vesicles, functions as a calcium sensor triggering vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter
release. Stimulation of a neuron results in an increase in intracellular calcium concentration. After binding
calcium ion to a region in its cytosolic domain, vesicular synaptotagmin promotes quick or slow
neurotransmitter release from the presynaptic neuron via interaction with regulatory and fusion related
proteins such as members of the SNARE complex. Südhof also discovered RIMs and Muncs (most
notably Munc13 and Munc18), soluble proteins which aid in the fusion of neurotransmitter vesicles to the
nerve cell membrane and play an important role in synaptic plasticity. In addition, Südhof's research
uncovered the role of many other proteins facilitating vesicle binding, fusion, and resultant
neurotransmitter release from the presynaptic neuron, including members of the SNARE complex:
synaptobrevin, in the vesicular membrane, syntaxin, in the cell membrane, and SNAP25, which is
tethered to the cytosolic side of the cell membrane via cysteine-linked palmitoyl chains and holds the
complex of four helices together. Südhof was also responsible for elucidating the action of tetanus and
botulinum toxins, which selectively cleave synaptobrevin and SNAP25, respectively, inhibiting vesicle
fusion with the presynaptic membrane.

A second influential contribution of Südhof is on synapse formation and specifications. Südhof

discovered a number of key molecules in this process such as neurexins, present on presynaptic neurons,
and neuroligins, present on postsynaptic neurons, that come together to form a physical protein bridge
across the synapse. The diversity in types of neurexins and neuroligins allows for a variety of unique
binding opportunities between neurons and impart a specificity to synaptic connections. Additionally he
also discovered or elucidated the important functions of SynCAM, Latrophilins etc. in synapse formation.
In additional studies, Südhof identified mutations in these proteins as a factor in inherited autism. Südhof
is striving to elucidate the mechanism by which neurexins and neuroligins locate each other to form the
synapse, their transcriptional regulation, and control of their variability.

Südhof currently continues his work on synapse formation, maintenance as well as synaptic releases in
his laboratory at Stanford University. Additionally, together with Marius Wernig at Stanford University,
Südhof developed induced neuronal cell technology where they can use human neuronal cells derived
from patients or genetically engineered with defined mutations that linked to neuropsychiatric disorders
or neurodevelopmental disorders. Südhof's research has not only given the scientific community a great
understanding of the processes underlying synaptic transmission and synapse formation, but has also
advanced medical knowledge of mechanisms behind poorly understood diseases such as Alzheimer's,
Schizophrenia, and Autism. He is currently working with a diverse group of researchers at the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute to develop mouse models for mutants of synaptic genes. The project aims to
drastically advance our understanding of neurological disorders. He also serves on the Research
Consortium of Cure Alzheimer's Fund.

Südhof recently retracted a 2023 paper from Proceedings of the National Academy of Science after
complaints sent to the journal due to "discrepancies between the raw data and the published data".[11]
Three more papers were retracted in 2024.[12]

Science and policy

Südhof recently also engages in scientific ethics as exemplified by his recent work at PLOS Biology
Truth in Science Publishing: A personal Perspective[13] and various interviews including his discussion
about music, policy and medicine with The Lancet.[9] In 2017, he published an article in The Washington
Post[14] on basic research vs. drug development.

Other activities
In 2023, Südhof was appointed by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to the United
Nations' Scientific Advisory Board.[15]

Corporate board memberships include:

Neurocentria, member of the scientific advisory board (since 2023)[16]

Sanofi, independent member of the board of directors (since 2016)[17]

Awards and honors

1993 W. Alden Spencer Award from Columbia University (shared with Richard Scheller)
1994 Wilhelm Feldberg Award[18]
1997 Roger Eckert Award Lecture, Göttingen
1997 U.S. National Academy Award in Molecular Biology (shared with Richard Scheller)
2002 Elected to the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A.
2003 Metlife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease[19] (shared
with Roberto Malinow)
2004 Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research
2004 Ulf von Euler Award Lecture, Karolinska Institute
2007 Elected to the Institute of Medicine
2008 Bernhard Katz Award, Biophysical Society (shared with Reinhard Jahn)
2008 Passano Foundation Award
2010 Kavli Prize (shared with Richard Scheller and James Rothman)
2013 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (shared with Richard Scheller)
2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - shared with Randy Schekman and James
Rothman
 2014 Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement[20]
2017 Elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (ForMemRS)[1]
2023 Awarded Joseph Carrier C.S.C. Science Medal from the University of Notre Dame. [21]

Personal life
Südhof is married to Lu Chen, a professor of neurosurgery and of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at
Stanford University. The couple have three children. Südhof has four more children from his previous
marriage with Annette Südhof.[22]

References
1. Anon (2017). "Professor Thomas Sudhof ForMemRS" (https://royalsociety.org/people/thoma
s-sudhof-13426/). royalsociety.org. Royal Society.
2. "CAP - Thomas Sudhof" (http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/neuroscience/researcher/Thomas_
Sudhof/). Med.stanford.edu. June 20, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
3. "Ist der Nobelpreisträger Südhof überhaupt Deutscher?" (http://www.focus.de/gesundheit/ne
ws/nobelpreis-fuer-medizin-ist-der-nobelpreistraeger-suedhof-ueberhaupt-deutscher_aid_11
22753.html). Focus. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
4. Medizinnobelpreisträger Thomas Südhof „Ich habe wieder einen deutschen Pass“, Berliner
Zeitung, 27 January 2014 (German) (http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/wissen/medizinnobelpre
istraeger-thomas-suedhof--ich-habe-wieder-einen-deutschen-pass-,10808894,26010272.ht
ml)
5. Vierbuchen, Thomas; Ostermeier, Austin; Pang, Zhiping P.; Kokubu, Yuko; Südhof, Thomas
C.; Wernig, Marius (2010). "Direct conversion of fibroblasts to functional neurons by defined
factors" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2829121). Nature. 463 (7284):
1035–1041. Bibcode:2010Natur.463.1035V (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010Natur.4
63.1035V). doi:10.1038/nature08797 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature08797).
PMC 2829121 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2829121). PMID 20107439
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20107439).
6. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2013" (https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/
medicine/laureates/2013/). Nobel Foundation. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
7. "PubPeer - Search publications and join the conversation" (https://pubpeer.com/search?q=T
homas+C.+S%C3%BCdhof). pubpeer.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
8. ELSE, HOLLY (2024). "Nobel-winning neuroscientist faces scrutiny for data discrepancies in
more than a dozen papers" (https://www.science.org/content/article/nobel-winning-neuroscie
ntist-faces-scrutiny-data-discrepancies-papers).
9. Anon (2010). "Tom Südhof" (https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0140-6736%2810%2961210-X).
The Lancet. 376 (9739): 409. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61210-X (https://doi.org/10.101
6%2FS0140-6736%2810%2961210-X). ISSN 0140-6736 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0
140-6736). PMID 20692517 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20692517). S2CID 54353897
(https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:54353897).
10. Südhof, Thomas Christian (1992). Die biophysikalische Struktur der chromaffinen Granula
im Lichte ihres Osmometerverhaltens und ihrer osmotischen Lyse (MD thesis). University of
Göttingen. OCLC 916944001 (https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/916944001).
11. www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/nobel-prize-winner-thomas-sudhof-retracts-study/ (https://
www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/nobel-prize-winner-thomas-sudhof-retracts-study/)
12. "Nobel Prize winner acknowledges errors in three more papers" (https://www.thetransmitter.
org/publishing/nobel-prize-winner-acknowledges-errors-in-three-more-papers/). The
Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives. April 5, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
13. Südhof, Thomas C. (August 26, 2016). "Truth in Science Publishing: A Personal
Perspective" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5001634). PLOS Biology. 14
(8): e1002547. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002547 (https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.10
02547). ISSN 1545-7885 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1545-7885). PMC 5001634 (http
s://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5001634). PMID 27564858 (https://pubmed.ncbi.
nlm.nih.gov/27564858).
14. Sudhof, Thomas (2017). "Too many medical trials are moonshots in the dark" (https://www.w
ashingtonpost.com/opinions/too-many-medical-trials-are-moonshots-in-the-dark/2017/01/04/
a7d88102-c184-11e6-9578-0054287507db_story.html). washingtonpost.com.
15. UN Secretary-General Creates Scientific Advisory Board for Independent Advice on
Breakthroughs in Science and Technology (https://press.un.org/en/2023/sga2223.doc.ht
m) United Nations, press release of 3 August 2023.
16. Neurocentria announces Dr. Thomas Sudhof to join the Scientific Advisory Board (https://ww
w.neurocentria.com/_files/ugd/f9b44d_33fbd8dbbf3341918a050511c89cfe37.pd
f) Neurocentria, press release of 12 January 2023.
17. Board of Directors (https://www.sanofi.com/en/about-us/governance/board-of-directors)
Sanofi.
18. "Prizewinners of the Feldberg Foundation" (http://www.feldbergfoundation.org/prizewinner
s/). Feldberg Foundation. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
19. "MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease" (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20181013093256/http://mlfawards.afar.org/docs/2016Edition_MetLifeFoundation
Awards_PastWinners.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the original (http://mlfawards.afar.org/docs/
2016Edition_MetLifeFoundationAwards_PastWinners.pdf) (PDF) on October 13, 2018.
20. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement" (https://achievement.or
g/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration). www.achievement.org. American
Academy of Achievement.
21. "Nobel laureate Thomas Südhof to accept 2023 Rev. Carrier Medal" (https://news.nd.edu/ne
ws/nobel-laureate-thomas-sudhof-to-accept-2023-rev-carrier-medal/). October 19, 2023.
22. "Thomas Südhof Nobel Prize bio note" (https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/la
ureates/2013/sudhof-bio.pdf) (PDF) (Press release).

External links
Thomas C. Südhof (https://www.nobelprize.org/laureate/886) on Nobelprize.org

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