Tobias Moser

Professor of Experimental and Clinical Audiology

• Dr. med. (M.D.), 1995, University of Jena
  

• Postdoctoral fellow with E. Neher at the MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, 1994 - 1997
  

• Group Leader at the Department of Otolaryngology, University of Göttingen since 1997

Major Research Interests:

Tobias Moser

Our group focuses on the physiology and pathology of sound coding at the hair cell ribbon synapse. Molecular dissection and detailed physiological characterization of ribbon synapse function employ a spectrum of molecular and biophysical techniques such as single cell RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry of hair cells, auditory systems physiology (recordings of otoacoustic emissions, compound action potentials and auditory brainstem responses, single unit recordings), pre- or postsynaptic patch-clamp, optical methods (epifluorescence, evanescent wave and confocal imaging as well as flash photolysis of caged compounds).
The group has contributed to understanding normal hair cell ribbon synapse function (reviews in Nouvian et al., 2006 and Moser et al., 2006). In our previous work we have physiologically and in part morphologically characterized mutant mice with defects in hair cell synaptic coding (Brandt et al., 2003; Khimich et al., 2005, Roux et al., 2006) and auditory nerve function (Lacas-Gervais et al., 2004). The results demonstrated that defects of hair cell synaptic sound coding cause sensorineural hearing loss in animal models – auditory synaptopathy and confirmed impaired hearing in case of nerve disorders - auditory neuropathy.

Address:
Georg August University Göttingen
Dept. of Otorhynolaryngology
Robert-Koch-Str. 40
37075 Göttingen
Germany

phone: +49-551-39 8968
fax: +49-551-39 12950
e-mail:

Further Information:
http://www.innerearlab.
uni-goettingen.de/

Selected Recent Publications:

Nouvian R, Beutner D, Parsons TD, Moser T (2006) Structure and function of the hair cell ribbon synapse. J Membr Biol 209:153-65

Roux I, Safieddine S, Nouvian R, Grati M, Simmler MC, Perfettini I, Le Gall M, Rostaing P, Hamard G,Triller A, Avan P, Moser T, Petit C (2006) Otoferlin, defective in DFNB9 deafness, is essential for the Ca2+-triggered synaptic exocytosis at the auditory hair cell ribbon synapse. Cell 127, 277-89

Moser T, Brandt A, Lysakowski A (2006) Hair cell ribbon synapses. Cell Tissue Res 326:347-359

Khimich D, Nouvian R, Pujol R, tom Dieck S, Egner A, Gundelfinger ED, Moser T (2005) Hair Cell Synaptic Ribbons are Essential for Synchronous Auditory Signaling. Nature 434: 889-94

Brandt A, Khimich D, Moser T (2005) Few Ca_V 1.3 channels regulate a synaptic vesicle's exocytosis at the hair cell ribbon synapse. J Neurosci 25, 11577-11585

Beutner D, Voets T, Neher E, Moser T (2001) Calcium dependence of exocytosis and endocytosis at the cochlear inner hair cell afferent synapse. Neuron 29, 681-90

Moser T, Beutner D (2000) Kinetics of exocytosis and endocytosis at the cochlear inner hair cell afferent synapse of the mouse. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 97, 883-888