22We identify a set of common phenotypic modifiers that interact with five independent autism gene 23 orthologs (RIMS1, CHD8, CHD2, WDFY3, ASH1L) causing a common failure of presynaptic 24 homeostatic plasticity (PHP). Heterozygous null mutations in each autism gene are demonstrated to 25 have normal baseline neurotransmission and PHP. However, we find that PHP is sensitized and 26 rendered prone to failure. A subsequent electrophysiology-based genetic screen identifies the first 27 known heterozygous mutations that commonly genetically interact with multiple ASD gene 28 orthologs, causing PHP to fail. Two phenotypic modifiers identified in the screen, PDPK1 and 29 PPP2R5D, are characterized. Finally, transcriptomic, ultrastructural and electrophysiological 30 analyses define one mechanism by which PHP fails; an unexpected, maladaptive up-regulation of 31 CREG, a conserved, neuronally expressed, stress response gene and a novel repressor of PHP. Thus, 32 we define a novel genetic landscape by which diverse, unrelated autism risk genes may converge to 33 commonly affect the robustness of synaptic transmission.34 35 36 observed in Drosophila, mice and humans (Davis, 2013). PHP has been documented at both central and 74 peripheral synapses in response to differences in target innervation (Liu and Tsien, 1995) altered 75 postsynaptic excitability (Davis, 2006; Marder and Goaillard, 2006; Mullins et al., 2016), following 76 chronic inhibition of neural activity (Kim and Ryan, 2010; Zhao et al., 2011) and following disruption of 77 postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptor function (Henry et al., 2012; Jakawich et al., 2010). The 78 mechanisms of PHP have a remarkable ability to modulate and stabilize synaptic transmission, with an 79 effect size that can exceed 200% (Müller and Davis, 2012; Ortega et al., 2018).
80Many of the rare de novo mutations that confer high risk for ASD are considered to be 81 heterozygous loss of function (LOF) mutations (Bourgeron, 2015; De Rubeis et al., 2014; Iossifov et al., 82 2014; Sanders et al., 2015). Therefore, we examine the phenotype of heterozygous LOF mutations in five 83 different ASD gene orthologs. We make several fundamental advances. First, we demonstrate that these 84 individual heterozygous LOF mutations have no overt effect on baseline transmission or PHP. However,
85we demonstrate that PHP is sensitized to failure. Next, we sought to define the molecular mechanisms 86 that connect ASD gene orthologs to the mechanisms of PHP. A genome-scale screen and subsequent 87 systems-genetic analyses yielded unexpected insight. We do not simply identify genes that, when mutated, 88 enhance the phenotype of individual ASD gene mutations. We discovered genes that, when their function 89 is diminished by heterozygous LOF mutations, commonly modify multiple ASD gene orthologs, causing a 90 selective failure of homeostatic plasticity. Thus, we define the first class of common phenotypic modifiers 91 of ASD genes in any system. Finally, we do not stop with the identification of a nove...