How do neuronal lysosomes maintain functional synapses?

Abstract The complex architecture of neurons poses unique challenges in maintaining proteome balance. Lysosomes, cellular metabolic hubs and main degradative organelles, play a central role in this process, thus supporting synaptic activity. Recent findings suggest that a specialized subpopulation of lysosomes in dendrites fuse with plasma membrane and release aggregation-prone proteins to the extracellular space. At the same time, they lead to structural changes in synapses, an intriguing link between the control of protein concentration and structural synaptic plasticity.