Hematopoietic Trem2 Deficiency Increases Plasma Cholesterol And Triglyceride Levels And Aggravates Atherosclerosis

Background and Aims: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2) is a modulatory receptor on macrophages involved in lipid sensing. Functionally, Trem2 has been suggested to both promote phagocytosis and suppress the secretion of TLR-induced inflammatory cytokines. Recent studies using single-cell RNA sequencing of aortic immune cells identified an atherosclerosis-specific macrophage cluster with robust Trem2, Spp1, Abcg1 and Lgals3 expression enriched for functions in lipid metabolism and lesion calcification. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the effect of hematopoietic Trem2 deficiency on atherosclerosis.