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Photo of Gong, Liang-Wei

Liang-Wei Gong, PhD

Professor

Mentor, Biological Mechanisms

Department of Biological Sciences

Contact

Building & Room:

SELE 4296

Office Phone:

312-413-0089

About

Synaptic transmission is mediated by fusion of synaptic vesicles with presynaptic plasma membrane to release neurotransmitter inside the vesicles. Exocytosis of synaptic vesicles is followed by endocytosis to form vesicles and local recycling of the synaptic vesicles. The mechanisms for exocytosis and endocytosis represent one of the most exciting topics in neurobiology and cell biology. Vesicle fusion is thought to be mediated by SNARE proteins, and actin, clathrin and dynamin are believed to be essential for clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Exocytic fusion and endocytic fission can be resolved by high-resolution measurement of membrane capacitance of patch clamping techniques, since changes in membrane area by exocytosis and endocytosis lead to proportional changes in membrane capacitance.

In my lab, we combine genetic and cell biological approaches with biophysical methods to investigate the mechanisms of exocytosis and endocytosis.

Our recent study indicates that the endocytic kinetics of clathrin-mediated endocytosis is also Ca 2+ dependent and synaptotagmin 1, the putative Ca 2+ sensor for exocytosis, is necessary for the Ca 2+ dependence of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, indicating a similarity in the Ca 2+ dependence between exocytosis and endocytosis.