Thomas Schwarz

Thomas Schwarz, Ph.D.

Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology in the Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital
617-355-2705
Schwarz Lab Website

The Cell Biology of Neurons

Many fascinating unanswered questions lie at the interface of fundamental cell biology and neuroscience. For example, how do motors control the distribution of organelles? How are organelles supplied and cleared when far from the nucleus? The neuron, because of its extraordinarily complex structure offers special challenges to general cell biological processes.  Solving neurodegenerative disorders may depend on understanding how the neuron meets these challenges.

The Schwarz lab is focused on the cell biology of the neuron and seeks to understand how nerve cells work and keep their distant parts well-supplied and healthy. We do so with the expectation that understanding how the cell functions can give us insight into the pathology of neurological disorders when those functions fail. Moreover, much as the shape and style of a building is constrained and influenced by the properties of the building materials, so too is the architecture and circuitry of the brain dependent on how these cellular components operate.

The research interests of the Schwarz Lab include 1) axonal transport of organelles, particularly mitochondria, by kinesins and dynein; 2) the development and structural plasticity of synapses; and 3) the mechanisms that preserve the quality of axonal components. Our inquiries into these fundamental processes have brought us in contact with translational questions of neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. The etiology of Parkinson’s Disease and peripheral neuropathies have become a particular concern of our group.

Projects move back and forth between Drosophila melanogaster, mice, rats, and human cell lines as the scientific question demands. We approach each question through a combination of genetics, biochemistry, electrophysiology, cell biology, pharmacology, and imaging.

Publications View
Search for long-lived doubly charged Higgs bosons in pp collisions at sqrt[s] = 1.96 TeV.
Authors: Authors: Acosta D, Adelman J, Affolder T, Akimoto T, Albrow MG, Ambrose D, Amerio S, Amidei D, Anastassov A, Anikeev K, Annovi A, Antos J, Aoki M, Apollinari G, Arisawa T, Arguin JF, Artikov A, Ashmanskas W, Attal A, Azfar F, Azzi-Bacchetta P, Bacchetta N, Bachacou H, Badgett W, Barbaro-Galtieri A, Barker GJ, Barnes VE, Barnett BA, Baroiant S, Bauer G, Bedeschi F, Behari S, Belforte S, Bellettini G, Bellinger J, Belloni A, Ben-Haim E, Benjamin D, Beretvas A, Bhatti A, Binkley M, Bisello D, Bishai M, Blair RE, Blocker C, Bloom K, Blumenfeld B, Bocci A, Bodek A, Bolla G, Bolshov A, Bortoletto D, Boudreau J, Bourov S, Brau B, Bromberg C, Brubaker E, Budagov J, Budd HS, Burkett K, Busetto G, Bussey P, Byrum KL, Cabrera S, Campanelli M, Campbell M, Canelli F, Canepa A, Casarsa M, Carlsmith D, Carosi R, Carron S, Cavalli-Sforza M, Castro A, Catastini P, Cauz D, Cerri A, Cerrito L, Chapman J, Chen YC, Chertok M, Chiarelli G, Chlachidze G, Chlebana F, Cho I, Cho K, Chokheli D, Chou JP, Chuang S, Chung K, Chung WH, Chung YS, Cijliak M, Ciobanu CI, Ciocci MA, Clark AG, Clark D, Coca M, Connolly A, Convery M, Conway J, Cooper B, Copic K, Cordelli M, Cortiana G, Cranshaw J, Cuevas J, Cruz A, Culbertson R, Currat C, Cyr D, Dagenhart D, Da Ronco S, D'Auria S, de Barbaro P, De Cecco S, Deisher A, De Lentdecker G, Dell'Orso M, Demers S, Demortier L, Deninno M, De Pedis D, Derwent PF, Dionisi C, Dittmann JR, DiTuro P, Dörr C, Dominguez A, Donati S, Donega M, Donini J, D'Onofrio M, Dorigo T, Ebina K, Efron J, Ehlers J, Erbacher R, Erdmann M, Errede D, Errede S, Eusebi R, Fang HC, Farrington S, Fedorko I, Fedorko WT, Feild RG, Feindt M, Fernandez JP, Field RD, Flanagan G, Flores-Castillo LR, Foland A, Forrester S, Foster GW, Franklin M, Freeman JC, Fujii Y, Furic I, Gajjar A, Gallinaro M, Galyardt J, Garcia-Sciveres M, Garfinkel AF, Gay C, Gerberich H, Gerdes DW, Gerchtein E, Giagu S, Giannetti P, Gibson A, Gibson K, Ginsburg C, Giolo K, Giordani M, Giunta M, Giurgiu G, Glagolev V, Glenzinski D, Gold M, Goldschmidt N, Goldstein D, Goldstein J, Gomez G, Gomez-Ceballos G, Goncharov M, González O, Gorelov I, Goshaw AT, Gotra Y, Goulianos K, Gresele A, Griffiths M, Grosso-Pilcher C, Grundler U, da Costa JG, Haber C, Hahn K, Hahn SR, Halkiadakis E, Hamilton A, Han BY, Handler R, Happacher F, Hara K, Hare M, Harr RF, Harris RM, Hartmann F, Hatakeyama K, Hauser J, Hays C, Hayward H, Heinemann B, Heinrich J, Hennecke M, Herndon M, Hill C, Hirschbuehl D, Hocker A, Hoffman KD, Holloway A, Hou S, Houlden MA, Huffman BT, Huang Y, Hughes RE, Huston J, Ikado K, Incandela J, Introzzi G, Iori M, Ishizawa Y, Issever C, Ivanov A, Iwata Y, Iyutin B, James E, Jang D, Jayatilaka B, Jeans D, Jensen H, Jeon EJ, Jones M, Joo KK, Jun SY, Junk T, Kamon T, Kang J, Unel MK, Karchin PE, Kato Y, Kemp Y, Kephart R, Kerzel U, Khotilovich V, Kilminster B, Kim DH, Kim HS, Kim JE, Kim MJ, Kim MS, Kim SB, Kim SH, Kim YK, Kirby M, Kirsch L, Klimenko S, Klute M, Knuteson B, Ko BR, Kobayashi H, Kong DJ, Kondo K, Konigsberg J, Kordas K, Korn A, Korytov A, Kotwal AV, Kovalev A, Kraus J, Kravchenko I, Kreymer A, Kroll J, Kruse M, Krutelyov V, Kuhlmann SE, Kwang S, Laasanen AT, Lai S, Lami S, Lammel S, Lancaster M, Lander R, Lannon K, Lath A, Latino G, Lauhakangas R, Lazzizzera I, Lecci C, Lecompte T, Lee J, Lee J, Lee SW, Lefèvre R, Leonardo N, Leone S, Levy S, Lewis JD, Li K, Lin C, Lin CS, Lindgren M, Lipeles E, Liss TM, Lister A, Litvintsev DO, Liu T, Liu Y, Lockyer NS, Loginov A, Loreti M, Loverre P, Lu RS, Lucchesi D, Lujan P, Lukens P, Lungu G, Lyons L, Lys J, Lysak R, Lytken E, Macqueen D, Madrak R, Maeshima K, Maksimovic P, Manca G, Marginean R, Marino C, Martin A, Martin M, Martin V, Martínez M, Maruyama T, Matsunaga H, Mattson M, Mazzanti P, McFarland KS, McGivern D, McIntyre PM, McNamara P, McNulty R, Mehta A, Menzemer S, Menzione A, Merkel P, Mesropian C, Messina A, Miao T, Miladinovic N, Miles J, Miller L, Miller R, Miller JS, Mills C, Miquel R, Miscetti S, Mitselmakher G, et al.
Phys Rev Lett
View full abstract on Pubmed
Sec6 mutations and the Drosophila exocyst complex.
Authors: Authors: Murthy M, Ranjan R, Denef N, Higashi ME, Schupbach T, Schwarz TL.
J Cell Sci
View full abstract on Pubmed
Synaptotagmin promotes both vesicle fusion and recycling.
Authors: Authors: Schwarz TL.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
View full abstract on Pubmed
Enhanced contact hypersensitivity and antiviral immune responses in vivo by keratinocyte-targeted overexpression of IL-15.
Authors: Authors: Loser K, Mehling A, Apelt J, Ständer S, Andres PG, Reinecker HC, Eing BR, Skryabin BV, Varga G, Schwarz T, Beissert S.
Eur J Immunol
View full abstract on Pubmed
Collagen metabolism is a novel target of the neuropeptide alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone.
Authors: Authors: Böhm M, Raghunath M, Sunderkötter C, Schiller M, Ständer S, Brzoska T, Cauvet T, Schiöth HB, Schwarz T, Luger TA.
J Biol Chem
View full abstract on Pubmed
The exocyst component Sec5 is required for membrane traffic and polarity in the Drosophila ovary.
Authors: Authors: Murthy M, Schwarz TL.
Development
View full abstract on Pubmed
Mitochondria are redistributed in Drosophila photoreceptors lacking milton, a kinesin-associated protein.
Authors: Authors: Górska-Andrzejak J, Stowers RS, Borycz J, Kostyleva R, Schwarz TL, Meinertzhagen IA.
J Comp Neurol
View full abstract on Pubmed
Mutations in the exocyst component Sec5 disrupt neuronal membrane traffic, but neurotransmitter release persists.
Authors: Authors: Murthy M, Garza D, Scheller RH, Schwarz TL.
Neuron
View full abstract on Pubmed
Hohenheimer Consensus Talk. Oxidative and premature skin ageing.
Authors: Authors: Biesalski HK, Berneburg M, Grune T, Kerscher M, Krutmann J, Raab W, Reimann J, Reuther T, Robert L, Schwarz T.
Exp Dermatol
View full abstract on Pubmed
Axonal transport of mitochondria to synapses depends on milton, a novel Drosophila protein.
Authors: Authors: Stowers RS, Megeath LJ, Górska-Andrzejak J, Meinertzhagen IA, Schwarz TL.
Neuron
View full abstract on Pubmed