The Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2: A Molecular Link of Neuroinflammation and Neurodegenerative Diseases*
- ↵1 To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Neurology, Molecular Cell Biology Unit, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53757 Bonn, Germany, Tel.: 49-228-2871-9782; Fax: 49-228-2871-9782; E-mail: jochen.walter{at}ukb.uni-bonn.de
Abstract
The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM) 2 is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of receptors and mediates signaling in immune cells via engagement of its co-receptor DNAX-activating protein of 12 kDa (DAP12). Homozygous mutations in TREM2 or DAP12 cause Nasu-Hakola disease, which is characterized by bone abnormalities and dementia. Recently, a variant of TREM2 has also been associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer disease. The selective expression of TREM2 on immune cells and its association with different forms of dementia indicate a contribution of this receptor in common pathways of neurodegeneration.
- Alzheimer disease
- cell signaling
- microglia
- neurodegenerative disease
- neuroinflammation
- protein processing
Footnotes
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↵* This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The author declares that he has no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article.
- © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.
