Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42602355›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in immunology2026

TREM2 as a central immunometabolic hub in Alzheimer's disease: linking microglial states, lipid stress, and disease-stage-specific intervention.

Guang Yang, Xiao Xu, Ying Xu

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

3 authors.

Guang Yang *Department of Physiology, School of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Xiao Xu *Department of Physiology, School of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Ying XuDepartment of Physiology, School of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) plays a crucial role in regulating microglial function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. Genetic studies have identified rare coding variants in TREM2 as significant risk factors for late-onset AD (LOAD), highlighting the importance of disrupted microglial signaling in disease pathogenesis. Biochemically, TREM2 acts as a receptor for lipid- and damage-associated molecular patterns, recognizing anionic phospholipids, myelin-derived lipids, apolipoproteins, and aggregated amyloid-β (Aβ). It engages with adaptors like DAP12 and DAP10, activating key signaling pathways, including SYK, PI3K-AKT-mTOR, and PLCγ2, leading to microglial transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming. These processes are essential for the transition of microglia to disease-associated microglia (DAM), influencing amyloid plaque compaction and tau pathology propagation. This review aims to synthesize the latest insights into TREM2 biology, focusing on the role of TREM2 in microglial state transitions, lipid metabolism, and myelin turnover. It also examines the pathophysiological relevance of soluble TREM2 (sTREM2) and AD-associated TREM2 variants. Furthermore, the review explores the therapeutic potential of targeting TREM2, including strategies based on agonistic antibodies and modulation of receptor shedding. Beyond prior descriptive summaries, we organize these findings within a stage-resolved immunometabolic framework that links disease timing, lipid-stress context, and microglial state transitions. This framework is intended to explain why similar TREM2-directed interventions may yield different outcomes across disease stages and pathology compositions. We further highlight stage-specific translational logic, including biomarker-informed (e.g., sTREM2-guided) stratification and monitoring, to support testable and clinically actionable trial designs.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseLipid MetabolismMembrane GlycoproteinsMicrogliaReceptors, ImmunologicAnimalsHumansSignal TransductionMembrane GlycoproteinsReceptors, ImmunologicTREM2 protein, humanAlzheimer’s diseaselipid metabolismmicrogliatherapeutic targetingTREM2

Identifiers

PMID42602355
PMCPMC13473830

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Registered trials

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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.