Activity-regulated circSamm50 modulates mitochondrial dynamics and spine structural plasticity

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are highly enriched in the brain, yet their functional contributions to synaptic plasticity remain unclear. Here, we uncover a plasticity-induced circRNA that links mitochondrial regulation to activity-dependent spine remodeling. Chemical long-term potentiation in primary hippocampal neurons identified circSamm50, derived from Samm50, which encodes a mitochondrial outer membrane protein, as robustly upregulated. circSamm50 sequesters miR-186-5p to sustain Samm50 mRNA levels, thereby coupling circRNA signaling to mitochondrial gene regulation. Acute CRISPR-Cas13-mediated depletion of circSamm50 disrupted mitochondrial morphology, transport, and bioenergetics across neuronal compartments. Functionally, circSamm50 loss impaired excitatory synaptic transmission, reduced spine density, and compromised two-photon glutamate uncaging-induced structural plasticity. Together, our findings uncover circSamm50 as a plasticity-modulated circRNA that coordinates mitochondrial function with activity-dependent spine remodeling, revealing a mechanism by which circRNAs couple metabolic control to synapse function and structural plasticity.