Dr Torsten Bossing
Profiles

Dr Torsten Bossing

Senior Research Fellow

Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health)

Dr Torsten Bossing can be contacted through arrangement with our Press Office, to speak to the media on these areas of expertise.
  • Neuroscience
  • Light microscopy
  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Nervous system damage
  • Experimental methods
  • Laboratory methods
Biography

Biography

Senior Research Fellow, Head of Plymouth Light Microscopy (PLiMS, https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/plymouth-light-microscopy-service)

Qualifications

1991 Diploma, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

1996 Dr.rer.nat., Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany

Professional membership

member of British Society of Developmental Biology (BSDB)

Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society (RMS)

Fellow of Advance Higher Education (Advance HE)

Key publications

Bossing T, Barros CS, Fischer B, Russell S & Shepherd D (2012) 'Disruption of microtubule integrity initiates mitosis during CNS repair' Dev Cell 23, (2) 433-440 Author Site , DOI Open access
Cowan CM, Bossing T, Page A, Shepherd D & Mudher A (2010) 'Soluble hyper-phosphorylated tau causes microtubule breakdown and functionally compromises normal tau in vivo' Acta Neuropathologica 120, (5) 593-604 , DOI
Choksi SP, Southall TD, Bossing T, Edoff K, de Wit E, Fischer BE, van Steensel B, Micklem G & Brand AH (2006) 'Prospero Acts as a Binary Switch between Self-Renewal and Differentiation in Drosophila Neural Stem Cells' Developmental Cell 11, (6) 775-789 , DOI
Schmidt H, Rickert C, Bossing T, Vef O, Urban J & Technau GM (1997) 'The Embryonic Central Nervous System Lineages ofDrosophila melanogaster' Developmental Biology 189, (2) 186-204 , DOI
Bossing T, Udolph G, Doe CQ & Technau GM (1996) 'The Embryonic Central Nervous System Lineages ofDrosophila melanogaster' Developmental Biology 179, (1) 41-64 , DOI
Bossing T & Technau GM (1994) 'The fate of the CNS midline progenitors in <i>Drosophila</i> as revealed by a new method for single cell labelling' Development 120, (7) 1895-1906 , DOI
View all publications
Teaching

Teaching

Teaching interests

Since 2013        

Teaching and Lecturing at Plymouth University

Personal Research Project (3001-X),   

Methods in Human Biosciences (BHCS2019)

Medicine in Society (SSC2)

Current Issues in Neurobiology (BHCS3007)

Master Research Project (BIOM5006) 

Teaching and Supervision of undergraduates, postgraduates and staff in advanced microscopy  

2012- 2013              

Lecturer and Convener of ‘Neurobiology of CNS Disorders’, Bangor University

2011-2013 Lecturer in ‘Biosciences, Enterprise and Employability’, Bangor University

2010-2013 Convener of the modules ‘Current Topics in Life Sciences’; ‘Experimental Projects’ and ‘Literature Projects’; Lecturer in Human Physiology – Brain Physiology; Head of the Third Year students, Personal Tutor at the School of Biological Sciences at Bangor University

Since 2007

Supervision of postgraduate and undergraduate students during their research projects.

Research

Research

Research interests

Understanding the workings of the human central nervous system (CNS) with its millions of neurons generating trillions of connections is a formidable challenge. Fortunately, to uncover the basic rules, we can turn to simpler organisms. I am making use of the simple fruit fly Drosophila to study evolutionary conserved mechanisms in CNS development and disease. #

Using classical genetics, molecular biology, transgenics and micromanipulation I study the embryonic development of the CNS to understand how damage in the CNS can be repaired. I also investigate the transcriptional program ensuring the correct formation of neural networks.

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Primary supervisor:


Current: 2 PhD student, 
Completed: 1PhD, 1 MRes, 2 MSc.

Grants & contracts

2023             Competitive PhD stipend awarded by Medical Faculty, Plymouth University (GBP 77k/ 3 years)

2023.             Southwest Alzheimer Research Network (GBP 4,2k)

2022             MRC World Class Lab award for purchase of confocal microscope (535,400GBP)

2022             Interdisciplinary PhD stipend together with Dr. Awan from School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (82k/ 4 years), 50% funded by Zimmer & Peacock

2021             Competitive PhD stipend awarded by Medical Faculty, Plymouth University (GBP 69k/ 3 years)

2016             Consultancy contract with HHMI, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon (GBP 3300/ month)

2015             Competitive PhD stipend awarded by Medical Faculty, Plymouth University (GBP 52k/ 3 years)

2014              Collaborator in BBSRC Grant (Responsive Mode), Principal Investigator Dr. Claudia Barros (GBP 390k/ 3 years)

2012              Royal Society Research Grant (GBP 14,8k/ 1 year)

2010              Tenovus Cancer Charity UK (co-supervisor, GBP 115k/ 4 years)

2009              Research Lectureship sponsored by Bioscience, Environment and Agriculture Alliance (GBP 220k/ 4 years)

2008              Gerald Kerkut PhD Studentship (GBP 57k/ 3 years)

1998- 2007         Wellcome Research Associate

1996- 1998        European Fellowship (Human Capital and Mobility)

1996             Prize for the best Ph.D. Thesis at the Johannes Gutenberg University, Faculty of Biology

Publications

Publications

Key publications

Bossing T, Barros CS, Fischer B, Russell S & Shepherd D (2012) 'Disruption of microtubule integrity initiates mitosis during CNS repair' Dev Cell 23, (2) 433-440 Author Site , DOI Open access
Cowan CM, Bossing T, Page A, Shepherd D & Mudher A (2010) 'Soluble hyper-phosphorylated tau causes microtubule breakdown and functionally compromises normal tau in vivo' Acta Neuropathologica 120, (5) 593-604 , DOI
Choksi SP, Southall TD, Bossing T, Edoff K, de Wit E, Fischer BE, van Steensel B, Micklem G & Brand AH (2006) 'Prospero Acts as a Binary Switch between Self-Renewal and Differentiation in Drosophila Neural Stem Cells' Developmental Cell 11, (6) 775-789 , DOI
Schmidt H, Rickert C, Bossing T, Vef O, Urban J & Technau GM (1997) 'The Embryonic Central Nervous System Lineages ofDrosophila melanogaster' Developmental Biology 189, (2) 186-204 , DOI
Bossing T, Udolph G, Doe CQ & Technau GM (1996) 'The Embryonic Central Nervous System Lineages ofDrosophila melanogaster' Developmental Biology 179, (1) 41-64 , DOI
Bossing T & Technau GM (1994) 'The fate of the CNS midline progenitors in <i>Drosophila</i> as revealed by a new method for single cell labelling' Development 120, (7) 1895-1906 , DOI

Key publications are highlighted

Journals
Articles
Diaz LR, Gil-Ranedo J, Jaworek KJ, Nsek N, Marques JP, Costa E, Hilton DA, Bieluczyk H, Warrington O & Hanemann CO (2024) 'Ribogenesis boosts controlled by HEATR1-MYC interplay promote transition into brain tumour growth' EMBO Reports , DOI Open access
Barros CS & Bossing T (2022) 'Direct isolation of single cells from living brains of Drosophila melanogaster without dissociation for transcriptome analysis' STAR Protocols 3, (4) , DOI Open access
Coupe D & Bossing T (2022) 'Insights into nervous system repair from the fruit fly' Neuronal Signaling 6, (1) , DOI Open access
Barros CS & Bossing T (2021) 'Microtubule disruption upon CNS damage triggers mitotic entry via TNF signaling activation' Cell Reports 36, (1) , DOI Open access
Gil-Ranedo J, Gonzaga E, Jaworek KJ, Berger C, Bossing T & Barros CS (2019) 'STRIPAK Members Orchestrate Hippo and Insulin Receptor Signaling to Promote Neural Stem Cell Reactivation' Cell Reports 27, (10) 2921-2933.e5 , DOI Open access
Sealey MA, Vourkou E, Cowan CM, Bossing T, Quraishe S, Grammenoudi S, Skoulakis EMC & Mudher A (2017) 'Distinct phenotypes of three-repeat and four-repeat human tau in a transgenic model of tauopathy' Neurobiology of Disease 105, 74-83 , DOI Open access
Bossing TW & Liu B (2016) 'Single neuron transcriptomics identify SRSF/ SR protein B52 as a regulator of axon growth and Choline acetyltransferase splicing' Scientific Reports , DOI Open access
Ding R, Weynans K, Bossing T, Barros CS & Berger C (2016) 'The Hippo signalling pathway maintains quiescence in Drosophila neural stem cells' Nature Communications 7, (0) 0-0 , DOI Open access
Liu B, Campo EM & Bossing T (2014) 'Drosophila Embryos as Model to Assess Cellular and Developmental Toxicity of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT) in Living Organisms' PLoS ONE 9, (2) e88681-e88681 , DOI Open access
Bossing T, Barros CS, Fischer B, Russell S & Shepherd D (2012) 'Disruption of microtubule integrity initiates mitosis during CNS repair' Dev Cell 23, (2) 433-440 Author Site , DOI Open access
Cowan CM, Bossing T, Page A, Shepherd D & Mudher A (2010) 'Soluble hyper-phosphorylated tau causes microtubule breakdown and functionally compromises normal tau in vivo' Acta Neuropathologica 120, (5) 593-604 , DOI
Choksi SP, Southall TD, Bossing T, Edoff K, de Wit E, Fischer BE, van Steensel B, Micklem G & Brand AH (2006) 'Prospero Acts as a Binary Switch between Self-Renewal and Differentiation in Drosophila Neural Stem Cells' Developmental Cell 11, (6) 775-789 , DOI
Bossing T & Brand AH (2006) 'Determination of cell fate along the anteroposterior axis of the<i>Drosophila</i>ventral midline' Development 133, (6) 1001-1012 , DOI
Bossing T & Brand AH (2002) 'Dephrin, a transmembrane ephrin with a unique structure, prevents interneuronal axons from exiting the<i>Drosophila</i>embryonic CNS' Development 129, (18) 4205-4218 , DOI
Bossing T, Barros CS & Brand AH (2002) 'Rapid tissue-specific expression assay in living embryos' Genesis 34, (1-2) 123-126 Author Site , DOI Open access
Landgraf M, Bossing T, Technau GM & Bate M (1997) 'The Origin, Location, and Projections of the Embryonic Abdominal Motorneurons of<i>Drosophila</i>' The Journal of Neuroscience 17, (24) 9642-9655 , DOI
Schmidt H, Rickert C, Bossing T, Vef O, Urban J & Technau GM (1997) 'The Embryonic Central Nervous System Lineages ofDrosophila melanogaster' Developmental Biology 189, (2) 186-204 , DOI
Dittrich R, Bossing T, Gould AP, Technau GM & Urban J (1997) 'The differentiation of the serotonergic neurons in the <i>Drosophila</i> ventral nerve cord depends on the combined function of the zinc finger proteins Eagle and Huckebein' Development 124, (13) 2515-2525 , DOI
Bossing T, Udolph G, Doe CQ & Technau GM (1996) 'The Embryonic Central Nervous System Lineages ofDrosophila melanogaster' Developmental Biology 179, (1) 41-64 , DOI
Bossing T, Technau GM & Doe CQ (1996) 'huckebein is required for glial development and axon pathfinding in the neuroblast 1-1 and neuroblast 2-2 lineages in the Drosophila central nervous system' Mechanisms of Development 55, (1) 53-64 , DOI
Broadus J, Skeath JB, Spana EP, Bossing T, Technau G & Doe CQ (1995) 'New neuroblast markers and the origin of the aCC/pCC neurons in the Drosophila central nervous system' Mechanisms of Development 53, (3) 393-402 , DOI
Udolph G, Lüer K, Bossing T & Technau GM (1995) 'Commitment of CNS Progenitors Along the Dorsoventral Axis of <i>Drosophila</i> Neuroectoderm' Science 269, (5228) 1278-1281 , DOI
Bossing T & Technau GM (1994) 'The fate of the CNS midline progenitors in <i>Drosophila</i> as revealed by a new method for single cell labelling' Development 120, (7) 1895-1906 , DOI
Udolph G, Prokop A, Bossing T & Technau GM (1993) 'A common precursor for glia and neurons in the embryonic CNS of <i>Drosophila</i> gives rise to segment-specific lineage variants' Development 118, (3) 765-775 , DOI
Conference Papers
Liu B & Bossing T (2012) 'A splicing factor controlling larval motor coordination' 48-49
Bossing T & Barros CS (2012) 'Extrinsic and intrinsic regulation of postembryonic neural stem cell development' 22-23
Bossing T, Fischer B, Russell S & Shepherd D (2010) 'Transcriptional control of damage repair at the ventral midline of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>' 86-86
Presentations and posters
Bossing T, Barros C, Fischer B, Russell S & Shepherd D Bossing T, Barros C, Fischer B, Russell S & Shepherd D 'Disruption of microtubule integrity initiates mitosis during CNS repair'