Munich Center for NeuroSciences - Brain and Mind
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Tim Czopka

Dr. Tim Czopka

GSN former faculty

Responsibilities

Emmy-Noether Group Leader

Contact

Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology
Technische Universität München
Biedersteiner Str. 29
D-80802 München

Phone: +49 (0)89 / 4140-3377
Fax: +49 (0)89 / 4140-3258

Website: Group webpage
Website: Institute webpage

Further Information

Research focus: Our group investigates how cellular interactions regulate the formation of new myelin. Most of our axons are eventually ensheathed with myelin, the multilayered plasma membrane made by oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS). Myelin provides structural, functional, and metabolic support to axons. Failure of myelination and damage to myelin impair axonal transmission and lead to neurodegeneration, evident in developmental and degenerative disorders such as periventricular white matter injury and multiple sclerosis (MS), respectively. New myelin is made through differentiation of resident oligodendrocyte precursor cells during both development and regeneration. We want to elucidate what controls the behaviour of these cells during normal myelination and after damage to the myelin sheath.

Key words: Myelin, Neuron-glia interactions, Transgenesis, In vivo imaging, Zebrafish

GSN students

Selected publications:

Auer F, Vagionitis S, Czopka T (2018). Evidence for myelin sheath remodelling in the central nervous system revealed by in vivo imaging. Current Biology 28:549-559.

Mensch S, Baraban M, Almeida R, Czopka T, Ausborn J, El Manira A, Lyons DA (2015). Synaptic vesicle release regulates myelin sheath number of individual oligodendrocytes in vivo. Nature Neuroscience May;18(5):628-30.

Snaidero N, Möbius W, Czopka T, Hekking L.H.P., Mathisen C, Verkleij D, Goebbels S, Edgar J, Merkler D, Lyons DA, Nave KA, Simons M (2014) Myelin membrane wrapping of CNS axons by PI(3,4,5)P3-dependent polarized growth at the inner tongue. Cell 156:277-290

Czopka T, ffrench-Constant C, Lyons DA (2013). Individual oligodendrocytes have only a few hours in which to generate new myelin sheaths in vivo. Developmental Cell 25(6):599-609.

Almeida RG*, Czopka T*, ffrench-Constant C, Lyons DA (2011) Individual axons regulate the myelinating potential of single oligodendrocytes in vivo. Development 138(20):4443-50. (* shared first author)

Czopka T, von Holst A, ffrench-Constant C, Faissner A (2010) Regulatory mechanisms that mediate Tenascin Cdependent inhibition of oligodendrocyte precursor differentiation. J Neurosci 30(37): 12310-12322