SYT13: An underestimated synaptotagmin

Abstract

Synaptotagmin-13 (SYT13) is a non-canonical member of the of synaptotagmin family that, canonical synaptotagmins, doesn't contain Ca²⁺ binding sites, but still appears to play a key role in the control of different cellular processes such as vesicle transport, cell migration, signaling and cell development. The recent findings associate SYT13 with neuronal survival and development, metabolic homeostasis (especially insulin secretion) and both oncogenic and tumor suppressive function in multiple cancers. And yet all this data is scattered in fields, with no systematic review covering SYT13's detailed biology. A comprehensive literature review is therefore needed to explain SYT13's multifaceted roles, uncover informational gaps and direct future studies to exploit SYT13 as a target for neurodegeneration, metabolic disease and cancer therapy.