Sex hormone deficiency in male and female mice expressing the Alzheimer's disease-associated risk-factor TREM2 R47H variant impacts the musculoskeletal system in a sex- and genotype-dependent manner.

The R47H variant of the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in humans and leads to lower bone mass accrual in female but not male 12-mo-old mice. To determine whether, as with aging, gonadectomy results in sex-specific musculoskeletal effects, gonad removal or SHAM surgery was performed in 4-mo-old TREM2 mice and WT male and female littermates ( = 10-12/group), with sexes analyzed separately. Body weight was lower in males, but higher in females after gonadectomy, independently of their genotype.