SynGAP forms biocondensates at sub-micromolar concentrations and recruits PSD95 and receptor oligomers, functioning as a key initiator of PSD formation

A key issue in neuronal circuit regulation is how synapse formation is initiated. Synapse formation could start when one or more synaptic scaffold proteins that can initiate synapse formation reach certain threshold concentrations in the dendritic shaft, which might lead to their oligomerization or even liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). By combining in vitro reconstitution of purified proteins with live-cell single-molecule and confocal imaging, we demonstrated that SynGAP alone forms assemblies of nanoscale clusters containing several to several tens of molecules at 10-nM order concentrations and micron-scale LLPS hydrogel-like condensates at submicromolar concentrations. The trimers of SynGAP’s intrinsically disordered region (IDR) induced by its coiled-coil domain are responsible for SynGAP condensation. CaMKII-mediated phosphorylation moderately suppresses SynGAP condensation, and also increases condensate liquidity. While PSD95 fails to form assemblies under these conditions, it is recruited to SynGAP condensates by specifically binding to the PDZ-binding motif of SynGAP. SynGAP[PSD95] condensates selectively immobilize postsynaptic transmembrane proteins, Neuroligin1 and AMPAR-TARP2 complexes, in a manner dependent on their oligomerization state, indicating cooperative recruitment dynamics among SynGAP, PSD95, and transmembrane components, which might mimic initial PSD assembly. These findings suggest that SynGAP may act as a primary nucleator of postsynaptic density assembly, challenging the PSD95-centered models.