查看文章

Lipocalin‐2 (LCN2), also known as neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL), a key antibacterial protein, is highly elevated in patients with end‐stage liver disease that is often associated with bacterial infection. LCN2 is expressed at high levels in both hepatocytes and neutrophils; however, how hepatocyte‐derived and neutrophil‐derived LCN2 cooperate to combat bacterial infection remains unclear. Here, by studying hepatocyte‐specific and myeloid‐specific Lcn2 knockout mice in two models of systemic and local Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, we demonstrated that hepatocytes played a critical role in controlling systemic infection by secreting LCN2 protein into the circulation following intraperitoneal injection of bacteria, whereas neutrophils were more important in combating local lung infection by carrying LCN2 in their specific granules to the local infection site following intratracheal intubation of …