Abstract
Long-term potentiation (LTP), a crucial form of synaptic plasticity essential for memory and learning, depends on protein synthesis and the upregulation of GluA1 and GluA2 at postsynaptic compartments. While extensive research has focused on the role of endosomal trafficking in GluA1 and GluA2 regulation, the contribution of the secretory pathway, namely endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi trafficking pathways remains largely unexplored. A key opportunity to investigate this emerged from Ykt6, an evolutionarily conserved SNARE protein and a master regulator of vesicular fusion along the secretory pathway. Here, we demonstrate that Ykt6 is highly expressed in the mammalian hippocampus, localizes to synaptic spines where it regulates GluA1 and GluA2 surface expression in an LTP-dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that Ykt6 modulates spine morphology, synaptic vesicle pool dynamics, as well as the amplitude and frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents. Ykt6 loss of function has been linked to α-synuclein pathology, a hallmark of Lewy body dementias, where α-synuclein misfolding in the hippocampus disrupts LTP. Collectively, our findings identify Ykt6 as a key SNARE protein supporting hippocampal function and LTP, with potential relevance to the pathogenesis of LBDs.