Chaoyi Gu

chaoyi.gu@chem.gu.se

Current position

Aug. 2016 – Present

PhD in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Education

Aug. 2014 – May. 2015

Master of Science in Biotechnology, Georgetown University, U.S.A

Aug. 2010 – Jun. 2014

Bachelor of Science in Biology, Lanzhou University, China

Research description

The aim of my research is to use electrochemical methods, including single cell amperometry and intracellular cytometry, to detect neurotransmitter changes in PC12 cells.

One of my projects is aimed to test the hypothesis that lipid changes are the initial chemical step in the initiation of short-term memory. Lipids that fit in high curvature sections of membranes facilitate exocytosis. Lipids that fit best in flat sections of membrane slow exocytosis. In addition, the fatty acids, e.g. omega 3 and 6 have been implicated in learning deficient hyperactive children. Therefore, my project is to examine the effects of these fatty acids on the fundamental neurotransmission process of exocytosis. My other project is aimed to understand how multiple stimulation affects exocytosis and total vesicle content in cells. I think this might be related to membrane plasticity.