Table 1 ASD-vulnerable cell types (selected studies)

Excitatory/inhibitory neurons or NPCs

Enrichment of ASD risk genes in cell type-specific transcriptional modules

Parikshank et al. [29]

Expression of modules of ASD risk genes in post-mortem cortical brain

Xu et al. [31]

ASD-patient derived organoids produce an excess of GABAergic inhibitory neurons

Mariani et al. [145]

Differentially expressed genes in transcriptomic data (ASD patient brain sample versus controls)

Gandal et al. [146]

Expression of modules of ASD risk genes in single cell transcriptomic data of different human cell types

Wang et al. [147]

Differentially expressed genes in single cell transcriptomic data (ASD patient cortex samples versus controls)

Valmesh et al. [36]

Expression of modules of ASD risk genes in BrainSpa transcriptomic data and scRNA-seq data of human cortex

Satterstrom et al. [28]

Interneurons

GABAergic interneurons reduced in the autistic cerebral cortex

Hashemi et al. [148]

Reduced number or activity in several mouse models

Filice et al. [149]

Sensory neurons

ASD-like behaviors in mice with conditional mutations of Mecp2, Gabrb3, or Shank3 in peripheral sensory neurons

Orefice et al. [49]

Oligodendrocytes

Dysregulation found in two ASD mouse models

Phan et al. [150]

Microglia

Deficient autophagy impairs synaptic pruning and induces behavioral defects in mouse models

Kim et al. [151]

Differentially expressed genes in single cell transcriptomic data (ASD patient cortex samples versus controls)

Valmesh et al. [36]

Astrocytes

Interleukin-6 secretion from astrocytes in ASD individuals induces neural defects

Russo et al. [152]

Immune Cells

Neuroinflammation, autoantibodies, an elevated T cell response, an increase in NK cell and monocyte responses in mouse models

Mead et al. [153]