Defects in syntabulin-mediated synaptic cargo transport associate with autism-like synaptic dysfunction and social behavioral traits

The formation and maintenance of synapses require long-distance delivery of newly synthesized synaptic proteins from the soma to distal synapses, raising the fundamental question of whether impaired transport is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. We previously revealed that syntabulin acts as a motor adaptor linking kinesin-1 motor and presynaptic cargos. Here, we report that defects in syntabulin-mediated transport and thus reduced formation and maturation of synapses are one of core synaptic mechanisms underlying autism-like synaptic dysfunction and social behavioral abnormalities. Syntabulin expression in the mouse brain peaks during the first two weeks of postnatal development and progressively declines during brain maturation. Neurons from conditional syntabulin(−/−) mice (stb cKO) display impaired transport of presynaptic cargos, reduced synapse density and active zones, and altered synaptic transmission and long-term plasticity. Intriguingly, stb cKO mice exhibit core autism-like traits, including defective social recognition and communication, increased stereotypic behavior, and impaired spatial learning and memory. These phenotypes establish a new mechanistic link between reduced transport of synaptic cargos and impaired maintenance of synaptic transmission and plasticity, contributing to autism-associated behavioral abnormalities. This notion is further confirmed by the human missense variant STB-R178Q, which is found in an autism patient and loses its adaptor capacity for binding kinesin-1 motors. Expressing STB-R178Q fails to rescue reduced synapse formation and impaired synaptic transmission and plasticity in stb cKO neurons. Altogether, our study suggests that defects in syntabulin-mediated transport mechanisms underlie the synaptic dysfunction and behavioral abnormalities that bear similarities to autism.