Our study shows that TREM-2–deficient individuals have a striking defect in OC development, which results in impaired bone resorption in vitro. TREM-2–deficient OC precursors fail to fuse into multinucleated cells, do not develop extensive rearrangements of actin cytoskeleton, and show reduced or no expression of typical OC markers such as vitronectin and calcitonin receptors. TREM-2–deficient immature OCs do express TRAP; however, this molecule is also expressed in other bone marrow–derived cells. This block in OC development leads to impaired performance in dentin resorption assays, potentially reflecting inefficient bone resorption in vivo. It will be important to determine how this defect contributes to the development of cysts and spontaneous fractures in bones of Nasu-Hakola disease patients (
9). Consistent with our results, defective development and resorptive function of OCs have been recently observed in DAP12-deficient mice (
23). Thus, TREM-2/DAP12 is an essential element in a unique pathway of bone remodeling and repair, which cooperates with previously defined OC differentiation pathways (
12).
More generally, TREM-2 appears to play a major role in regulating myeloid lineage development. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that TREM-2, by interacting with a yet unknown ligand on myeloid precursors or stromal cells, generates a positive signal that promotes precursor cell differentiation into OCs in the presence of M-CSF and RANKL or into DCs in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4. In contrast, when TREM-2 is absent, myeloid cell differentiation is biased toward the macrophage lineage. Corroborating this, TREM-2–deficient monocytes are reluctant to differentiate into DCs and, if not driven by exogenous factors, favor the macrophage pathway. The exaggerated ability of TREM-2–deficient immature OCs to degrade thin calcium phosphate layers is also consistent with the retention of a phagocytic activity. This model suggests an inherent flexibility in the myeloid development program that is dependent on existing needs. Under homeostatic conditions, engagement of TREM-2 may favor OC differentiation, whereas inflammatory conditions may drive myeloid differentiation toward the macrophage lineage through engagement of different receptors. Accordingly, it has been recently shown that engagement of Toll-like receptors by bacterial products or CpG oligonucleotides directs OC differentiation toward a macrophage pathway (
28,
29). TREM-2 may guide myeloid cell differentiation by modulating responsiveness to certain cytokines or reinforcing signaling pathways triggered by cytokine receptors or integrins (
19,
24–
27). The TREM-2/DAP12 signaling pathway may also play an important role in promoting actin polymerization, organization of the cytoskeleton, and ruffled border trafficking via recruitment of protein tyrosine kinases, activation of phospholipase Cγ1, and calcium mobilization (
30). These functions are critical for promoting cell fusion as well as transforming OC precursors into a polarized cell type capable of resorbing bone in a highly regulated fashion (
13).