Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40122810›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuroinflammation2025

Enhancing TREM2 expression activates microglia and modestly mitigates tau pathology and neurodegeneration.

Kai Chen, Fuyao Li, Shuwen Zhang, Yixing Chen, Tadafumi C Ikezu, Zonghua Li, Yuka A Martens, Wenhui Qiao, Axel Meneses, Yiyang Zhu and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuroinflammation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Gut microbes · 2026
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  16. Roles of TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease.Translational neurodegeneration · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Kai Chen *Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Fuyao Li *Department of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Shuwen ZhangDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Yixing ChenDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Tadafumi C IkezuDepartment of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Zonghua LiDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Yuka A MartensDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Wenhui QiaoDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Axel MenesesDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Yiyang ZhuDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Gisela XhafkollariDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Guojun BuDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA.
Na ZhaoDepartment of Neuroscience, Mayo Clinic, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA. zhao.na@mayo.edu.

Funding

Molecular pathobiology of soluble TREM2 in Alzheimer's disease.RF1AG056130 · NIA · SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE · PI HUANG, TIMOTHY YIKAI, ZHAO, NA · 2017 to 2023
$6.8M
TREM2-mediated microglial dynamic function in Alzheimer diseaseR01AG066395 · NIA · MAYO CLINIC JACKSONVILLE · PI ZHAO, NA · 2020 to 2024
$3.7M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG066395NIA NIH HHS RF1 AG056130NIH HHS R01AG66395
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

TREM2, a microglia-specific receptor, is strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, mediating microglial responses to amyloid pathology critical to AD development. However, its role in tau pathology and neurodegeneration remains unclear. Using the PS19 tauopathy mouse model with inducible overexpression of human wild-type TREM2 (TREM2-WT) or the R47H variant (TREM2-R47H), we show that increasing TREM2-WT expression modestly reduces soluble phosphorylated tau levels and mildly preserves neuronal integrity. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals that TREM2-WT robustly enhances microglial activation, characterized by a disease-associated microglia (DAM) signature. In contrast, TREM2-R47H overexpression exhibits a loss-of-function phenotype, with no significant impact on tau levels, neurodegeneration, or microglial activation. These findings highlight the role of TREM2 in modulating microglial activity and its influence on tau pathology and neurodegeneration, providing important insights for the future development of therapies targeting TREM2 or microglial pathways in AD or other tauopathies.

Indexed as

Membrane GlycoproteinsMicrogliaNerve DegenerationReceptors, ImmunologicTauopathiestau ProteinsAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalHumansMiceMice, TransgenicMembrane GlycoproteinsReceptors, Immunologictau ProteinsTREM2 protein, humanTrem2 protein, mouseAlzheimer’s diseaseMicrogliaR47H variantTau pathologyTranscriptomicsTREM2

Identifiers

PMID40122810
PMCPMC11931752

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.