Home › Research › TREM2 and immune genetics
Identification of soluble TREM-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid and its association with multiple sclerosis and CNS inflammation
Laura M. Piccio, Cecilia Buonsanti, Marina Cella, Ilaria Tassi, Robert E. Schmidt, Chiara Fenoglio, John Robert Rinker, Robert T. Naismith, Paola Panina‐Bordignon, Nadia Passini, Daniela Galimberti, Elio Angelo Scarpini, Marco Colonna, Anne Haney Cross. Brain, 2008-09-12
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Plain-language summary
Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM-2) is a membrane-bound receptor expressed by microglia and macrophages. Engagement of TREM-2 on these cells has been reported to reduce inflammatory responses and, in microglial cells, to promote phagocytosis. TREM-2 function is critical within the CNS, as its genetic deficiency in humans causes neurodegeneration with myelin and axonal loss. Blockade of TREM-2 worsened the mouse model for multiple sclerosis. In the present study, a soluble form of TREM-2 protein has been identified by immunoprecipitation and by ELISA. Soluble TREM-2 protein (sTREM-2) was detected in human CSF, and was compared among subjects with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RR-MS; n = 52), primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PP-MS; n = 21), other inflammatory neurologic diseases (OIND; n = 19), and non-inflammatory neurologic diseases (NIND; n = 41). Compared to NIND subjects, CSF sTREM-2 levels were significantly higher in RR-MS (P = 0.004 by ANOVA) and PP-MS (P < 0.001) subjects, as well as in OIND (P < 0.001) subjects. In contrast, levels of sTREM-2 in blood did not differ among the groups. Furthermore, TREM-2 was detected on a subset of CSF monocytes by flow cytometry, and was also highly expressed on myelin-laden macrophages in eight active demyelinating lesions from four autopsied multiple sclerosis subjects. The elevated levels of sTREM-2 in CSF of multiple sclerosis patients may inhibit the anti-inflammatory function of the membrane-bound receptor suggesting sTREM-2 to be a possible target for future therapies.
What this study adds
Evidence grade: Not rated
Found a soluble form of the TREM-2 protein in spinal fluid, with higher levels in people with multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory neurologic diseases than in people with non-inflammatory neurologic diseases. Blood levels did not differ between groups.
Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Piccio, L. M., Buonsanti, C., Cella, M., Tassi, I., Schmidt, R. E., Fenoglio, C., et al. (2008). Identification of soluble TREM-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid and its association with multiple sclerosis and CNS inflammation. Brain. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awn217
Vancouver
Piccio LM, Buonsanti C, Cella M, Tassi I, Schmidt RE, Fenoglio C, et al. Identification of soluble TREM-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid and its association with multiple sclerosis and CNS inflammation. Brain. 2008. doi:10.1093/brain/awn217. PMID: 18790823.
BibTeX
@article{piccio2008-18790823,
author = {Piccio, Laura M. and Buonsanti, Cecilia and Cella, Marina and Tassi, Ilaria and Schmidt, Robert E. and Fenoglio, Chiara and Rinker, John Robert and Naismith, Robert T. and Panina‐Bordignon, Paola and Passini, Nadia and Galimberti, Daniela and Scarpini, Elio Angelo and Colonna, Marco and Cross, Anne Haney},
title = {{Identification of soluble TREM-2 in the cerebrospinal fluid and its association with multiple sclerosis and CNS inflammation}},
journal = {Brain},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1093/brain/awn217},
pmid = {18790823},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awn217}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 14 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Why it matters
Found a soluble form of the TREM-2 protein in spinal fluid, with higher levels in people with multiple sclerosis and other inflammatory neurologic diseases than in people with non-inflammatory neurologic diseases. Blood levels did not differ between groups. The study looked at multiple sclerosis, not Alzheimer's.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Genetics →
How this study scored 53/100
Published in a leading specialty journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 50 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 53 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Brain) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Brain: journal h-index 503 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2008 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 307 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.3 citations a year over 20 year(s) since 2008 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 75 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Anne Haney Cross: h-index 86 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 18790823) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 50 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 50 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 53 out of 100. |
| Total | 53 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Related studies in TREM2 and immune genetics from nearby years
Also tagged “r47h”
363 studies in the library carry the topic tag “r47h”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 363 tagged studies.