TREM2 variants in neurodegenerative disorders in the Polish population. Homozygosity and compound heterozygosity in FTD patients

Activation of the TREM2 receptor on microglia stimulates phagocytosis and decreases the microglial proinflammatory response. Mutations in exon 2 of the TREM2 gene have been reported to be associated with various neurodegenerative diseases characterized by chronic inflammation. The aim of our study was to evaluate exon 2 of TREM2 gene variants as a putative genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the Polish population. The results were interpreted using previously published data, especially highlighting differences in the prevalence of the variants among Caucasian subpopulations across different geographic regions. The DNA sequence of exon 2 of TREM2 was analyzed in 811 subjects (274 AD, 135 FTD, 194 ALS patients, and 208 neurologically healthy controls). Nine heterozygous variants were detected, including two novel ones: p.G29 = and c.41-2_3insA, found respectively in a control and an ALS patient. Additionally, we identified one homozygous and two compound heterozygous FTD patients. We confirm previous data that homozygous and compound heterozygous TREM2 mutations can be causative for FTD.