Synaptic Ras GTPase-activating protein 1, also known as synaptic Ras-GAP 1 or SYNGAP1, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SYNGAP1 gene.^[5][6][7] SYNGAP1 is a ras GTPase-activating protein that is critical for the development of cognition and proper synapse function. Mutations in humans can cause intellectual disability, epilepsy, autism and sensory processing deficits.

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SYNGAP1
Identifiers
Aliases	SYNGAP1, MRD5, RASA1, RASA5, SYNGAP, synaptic Ras GTPase activating protein 1
External IDs	OMIM: 603384 MGI: 3039785 HomoloGene: 84739 GeneCards: SYNGAP1
Gene location (Human) Chr. Chromosome 6 (human)[1] Band 6p21.32 Start 33,419,661 bp[1] End 33,453,689 bp[1]
Gene location (Mouse) Chr. Chromosome 17 (mouse)[2] Band 17|17 A3.3 Start 26,941,253 bp[2] End 26,972,434 bp[2]
RNA expression pattern Bgee Human Mouse (ortholog) Top expressed in pituitary gland right uterine tube anterior pituitary superior frontal gyrus canal of the cervix myometrium left uterine tube endometrium nucleus accumbens right coronary artery Top expressed in superior frontal gyrus ascending aorta aortic valve spermatid cerebellar cortex spermatocyte lens lip supraoptic nucleus esophagus More reference expression data BioGPS n/a
Gene ontology Molecular function GTPase activator activity SH3 domain binding Cellular component cytoplasm cytosol membrane intrinsic component of the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane dendritic shaft postsynaptic density plasma membrane glutamatergic synapse Biological process pattern specification process visual learning negative regulation of neuron apoptotic process regulation of long-term neuronal synaptic plasticity regulation of MAPK cascade regulation of GTPase activity dendrite development receptor clustering MAPK cascade regulation of synaptic plasticity positive regulation of GTPase activity negative regulation of axonogenesis regulation of synapse structure or activity signal transduction Ras protein signal transduction negative regulation of Ras protein signal transduction maintenance of postsynaptic specialization structure Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs Species Human Mouse Entrez 8831 240057 Ensembl ENSG00000227460 ENSG00000197283 ENSMUSG00000067629 UniProt Q96PV0 F6SEU4 RefSeq (mRNA) NM_006772 NM_001130066 NM_001281491 RefSeq (protein) NP_001123538 NP_006763 NP_001268420 NP_001357962 NP_001357963 NP_001380956 Location (UCSC) Chr 6: 33.42 – 33.45 Mb Chr 17: 26.94 – 26.97 Mb PubMed search [3] [4]
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SynGAP1 is a complex protein with several functions that may be regulated temporally via complex isoforms.^[8] A well-documented function of SynGAP1 involves NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity and membrane insertion of AMPA receptors through the suppression of upstream signaling pathways.^[9] However, SynGAP1 has also been shown to function cooperatively with Unc51.1 in axon formation.^[10] One way SynGAP1 affects these processes is through the MAP kinase signaling pathway by attenuation of Ras signalling.^[11] However, alternative splicing and multiple translational start sites have been shown to cause opposing effects, illustrating the importance of multiple functional domains that reside within the c- and n-termini. For example, the expression of an α1 or α2 c-terminal variant of SynGAP1 will either increase or decrease synaptic strength, respectively.^[8] Overall, SynGAP1 is essential for development and survival, which is evident as knockout mice die perinatally.^[12]

Several mutations in the SYNGAP1 gene were identified as the cause of intellectual disability. Intellectual disability is sometimes associated with syndromes of other defects caused by the same gene, but SYNGAP1-associated intellectual disability is not; it is therefore called non-syndromic intellectual disability. Since neither of the parents of children with this condition have the mutation, this means it was a sporadic mutation that occurred during division of the parents' gametes (meiosis) or fertilization of the egg. It is a dominant mutation, which means that the individual will be developmentally disabled even if only one allele is mutated.^[15]

Mutations in this gene have also been found associated to cases of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, autism spectrum disorder, and touch-related sensory processing deficits.^[16][17][18]

Epilepsy in this disorder is distinctive, combining eyelid myoclonia with absences and myoclonic-atonic seizures. Seizures are often triggered by eating.^[19][20]

SYNGAP1 has been shown to interact with DLG3^[6] and ULK1.^[10]