In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 22 December 1955
- Birthplace
- Göttingen, Germany
- Country
- United States
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Investigating molecular mechanisms linking calcium to neurotransmitter release
Why this life matters
Investigating molecular mechanisms linking calcium to neurotransmitter release
Timeline
Key moments
Birth
Thomas C. Südhof was born in Göttingen, Germany.
Calcium-binding study
Coauthored the synaptotagmin calcium-sensor paper with Brose, Petrenko and Jahn.
Nobel recognition
Received Nobel recognition for the work described in the official award record.
A medical education accommodated wider intellectual interests
Thomas Christian Südhof was born in Göttingen in 1955. He grew up in Göttingen and Hannover, attended a Waldorf school and developed a serious interest in music. His autobiography connects musical training with disciplined attention and creative interpretation. He studied medicine but also pursued experimental work in Victor Whittaker’s department, investigating calcium-binding proteins. He completed medical training in 1982. This route combined physiology and biochemistry before his later programme addressed how a nerve terminal converts an electrical event into controlled chemical communication.
Dallas supplied a second scientific apprenticeship
Südhof moved to Dallas in 1983 to work with Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein at UT Southwestern. He investigated the LDL receptor and regulation of its gene, learning molecular approaches within a medically motivated cell-biology programme. In 1986 he established his own laboratory, choosing the composition and function of synaptic vesicles as a central problem. Collaboration with Reinhard Jahn connected the identification of vesicle proteins with subsequent questions about their roles. Cataloguing a component was a beginning, not automatically an explanation of its function.
Sources for this section: [4]
Synaptotagmin became a testable calcium-sensor candidate
The early papers distinguished sequence and domain properties from biochemical binding and physiological interpretation. In 1992, Nils Brose, Alexander Petrenko, Südhof and Jahn reported calcium binding by synaptotagmin in a complex with negatively charged phospholipids. The authors proposed a role as a calcium receptor in exocytosis. That historical result should not be misdated to the 1991 domain paper or treated as every later functional test already completed. The programme gained strength by connecting candidate properties with experiments that asked whether those properties mattered in living release systems.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Thomas C. Südhof
- Who collaborated on the 1992 paper?
- Nils Brose, Alexander Petrenko, Thomas Südhof and Reinhard Jahn.
- When did Südhof establish his Dallas laboratory?
- In 1986.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Michael S. Brown
Trace a mentor whose cell-biological approach helped shape Südhof’s postdoctoral training.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Brose, Petrenko, Südhof and Jahn, Science, 1992Synaptotagmin: a calcium sensor on the synaptic vesicle surface
- 2. Perin, Brose, Jahn and Südhof, Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1991Domain structure of synaptotagmin (p65)
- 3. Nobel Prize OutreachThomas C. Südhof — Facts
- 4. Nobel Prize OutreachThomas C. Südhof — Biographical