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Gene

TREM2

triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2

Summary

Cytogenetic location
6p21.1
Coordinates
Chromosome 6: 41,158,508–41,163,116 (GRCh38)
Exons
5 exons across 4.6 kb
Protein
230 amino acids
Also known as
TREM-2, Trem2a, Trem2b, Trem2c
MANE Select transcript
ENST00000373113.8NM_018965.4
Locus type
Protein-coding
  • Very high
  • Confident
  • Low
  • Very low

Curated reports relevant to this gene

  • Adult-Onset Leukodystrophies (CSF1R, LMNB1, Nasu-Hakola)

    • Nasu-Hakola disease (polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy)Autosomal recessive

      Changes in TYROBP or TREM2 cause bone cysts and fractures in young adulthood, followed by progressive changes in personality and memory.

      • 3 GenCC submitters rate it definitive or strong

  • Alzheimer disease

      • 1 GenCC submitter rates it definitive or strong
      Actionability

      Enhanced screening, cognitive engagement, cardiovascular health optimization, anti-amyloid therapies (lecanemab), prevention trial eligibility

Broader groupings

  • Other Inherited Leukodystrophies

    • Leukodystrophy (other and unspecified types)

      One of 80 genes linked to it

      Inherited conditions that damage or prevent the normal formation of myelin, the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. Different types follow autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant or X-linked inheritance depending on the gene involved.

      • 3 GenCC submitters rate it definitive or strong
      Actionability

      Knowing the specific genetic cause can end a diagnostic search, guide supportive care and surveillance, show whether a specific treatment exists, and allow testing of relatives.

How TREM2 is laid out

  • Coding sequence
  • Untranslated region
  • Intron
  • Direction of transcription
  • Known disease-causing sites
Chromosome 6, with a bracket where TREM2 sits. TREM2 and 12 genes near it on chromosome 6, from 40,660,812 to 41,660,811.Chromosome 66p21.1p25.3p25.2p25.1p24.3p24.2p24.1p23p22.3p22.2p22.1p21.33p21.32p21.31p21.2p21.1p12.3p12.2p12.1p11.2p11.1q11.1q11.2q12q13q14.1q14.2q14.3q15q16.1q16.2q16.3q21q22.1q22.2q22.31q22.32q22.33q23.1q23.2q23.3q24.1q24.2q24.3q25.1q25.2q25.3q26q2740.8 Mb41 Mb41.2 Mb41.4 Mb41.6 MbUNC5CL: 41,026,895–41,039,221, reverse strandUNC5CLOARD1: 41,033,627–41,097,787, reverse strandOARD1TSPO2: 41,039,278–41,044,344, forward strandTSPO2APOBEC2: 41,053,201–41,067,058, forward strandAPOBEC2NFYA: 41,072,040–41,103,063, forward strandNFYATREML1: 41,149,167–41,155,556, reverse strandTREML1TREM2: 41,158,508–41,163,116, reverse strandTREM2TREML2: 41,189,749–41,201,149, reverse strandTREML2TREML4: 41,228,339–41,238,882, forward strandTREML4TREM1: 41,267,099–41,286,703, reverse strandTREM1NCR2: 41,335,599–41,350,889, forward strandNCR2FOXP4: 41,546,341–41,602,384, forward strandFOXP4MDFI: 41,636,840–41,654,250, forward strandMDFIDiagram of TREM2: 5 exons on the reverse strand of chromosome 6Exon 4: 1 known disease-causing siteExon 2: 6 known disease-causing sitesExon 1: 1 known disease-causing siteExon 5: 41,158,508–41,158,780, 273 basesExon 4: 41,158,873–41,159,066, 194 basesExon 3: 41,159,792–41,159,882, 91 basesExon 2: 41,161,263–41,161,613, 351 basesExon 1: 41,163,043–41,163,116, 74 bases543215′3′

Exons of the gene's MANE Select transcript (release v1.5), from NCBI and EMBL-EBI, on the GRCh38 reference genome.

Chromosome bands from UCSC's GRCh38 ideogram (2022-10-29).

Nearby genes from Ensembl release 116, on GRCh38.

Exons make up 1 kb of the gene's 4.6 kb; 693 of those bases code for the protein.

Sequencing TREM2

0Low

How hard TREM2 is to sequence with short reads, out of 100

  • Mappability0%
  • Homology0%
  • Repeats0%
  • GC content0%
  • Reference coverage0%

10

positions in TREM2 where ClinVar classes a change as pathogenic or likely pathogenic

None of them falls in a region short reads find hard.

A whole genome covers all 4.6 kb of TREM2, introns included, not only the 1 kb of exons.

Genes linked to the same conditions

Traits linked to TREM2

The Human Phenotype Ontology lists these as features of the rare conditions TREM2 can cause. Each trait's page lists the other genes linked to it.

Abnormality of the nervous system

Show 98 more traits

External links

Where this comes from

  • HGNC: the gene's symbol, name, other symbols and location.
  • MANE Select v1.5, from NCBI and EMBL-EBI: the transcript, its exons and coding sequence.
  • GenCC and ClinGen, released 2026-10-17: which conditions the gene is linked to, and how strongly.
  • The ACMG secondary findings list, SF v3.2.
  • ClinVar and the GIAB stratifications: known disease-causing sites, and the regions short reads find hard.
  • The Genome in a Bottle genome stratifications, from NIST: the sequencing difficulty score.
  • The Human Phenotype Ontology, release 2026-09-01: the traits linked to the gene. Find out more at hpo.jax.org.
  • Data release 2026.10.17-8666dff2.

Cite this page

APA

Dante Labs. (n.d.). TREM2 gene: triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2. Retrieved 18 October 2026, from https://dantelabs.com/genes/trem2

Vancouver

Dante Labs. TREM2 gene: triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 [Internet]. [cited 18 October 2026]. Available from: https://dantelabs.com/genes/trem2

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