Lack of synaptic protein, calsyntenin-2, impairs morphology of synaptic complexes in mice.

Calsyntenin-2 (Clstn2) is the synaptic protein, which belongs to the superfamily of cadherins, playing an important role in learning and memory. We recently reported that Clstn2 knockout mice (Clstn2-KO) have a deficit of GABAergic interneurons, associated with hyperactivity, deficient spatial memory, and social behavior. Therefore, we sought to characterize morphometric features of the ultrastructure of synaptic complexes of hippocampal and cortical neurons in Clstn2-KO mice, using high magnification electron microscopy.