Autism, or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), is one of the most severe disorders of brain development across the world, but human beings are far from gaining a clear understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease.

Previous studies showed that metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (GRM7) could be an ASD-related gene. However, there was no direct evidence that pointed to GRM7 as a factor adversely affecting brain development.

Most recently, Jiao Jianwei and his colleagues from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered through a series of studies that GRM7 affects the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells, and is also required for neuronal development through regulating the important Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) pathway.

The research team was the first to point out that the ASD-related gene GRM7 affects brain development through the Hippo pathway. Their findings can provide insights for the clinical diagnosis and therapeutic intervention of autism.

The study was published online on Stem Cell Reports on April 23. The research team received financial support from the Pilot Project of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research, the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.