Haematopoetic TREM2 deficiency modulates atherosclerosis and lipid metabolism

Background and Aims: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a lipid-sensing receptor involved in the regulation of several key myeloid cell functions, including proliferation, survival and phagocytosis. TREM2 is highly expressed on a subset of atherosclerosis-associated aortic macrophages, which express genes associated with lipid metabolism, oxidative stress and calcification while downregulating pro-inflammatory genes. These macrophages correspond to foamy macrophages, which are important players in atherogenesis. Therefore, we sought to investigate the effect of TREM2 deficiency on atherosclerosis.