Lipocalin Signaling Pathway

1. Lipocalin Signaling Pathway Lipocalin protein belongs to a large class of adipocytokines, and lipocalin family proteins include LCN2, LCN6, LCN9, LCN11-13, retinol-binding protein, -microglobulin, α1 acid glycoprotein, insect bile pigment binding protein and β -lactoglobulin, etc. All have a homologous beta barrel structure. More and more studies have shown that the lipocalin protein family is involved in the development of many diseases, such as obesity, insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, etc., and LCN2 is a hot topic in the family. Experiments show that it is involved in the development and progression of inflammation, obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Increased expression of LCN2 in obesity and metabolic diseases is associated with coronary sclerosing heart disease, severity of atherosclerosis, and mortality in patients with heart failure, suggesting the role of LCN2 as a marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of metabolic-related cardiovascular diseases. Cell and animal experiments suggest that LCN2 may affect cardiovascular function by participating in various ways such as inflammatory reaction, glycolipid metabolism and action on myocardial and vascular endothelium, which may be an important part of the relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease. Existing studies have contradicted the role of LCN2 in inflammatory responses and insulin resistance, and the interaction of LCN2 with other adipokines and inflammatory factors is still unclear and needs further study. α Studies have shown that the Lipocalin family share some commonalities: the spatial structure of the beta barrel consisting of eight folded sheets; the presence of a pair of conserved disulfide bonds stabilizes the structure of the protein. Studies have found that these lipocalin proteins change spatial structure and kinetics through changes in pH, binding and transporting ligands at high pH and releasing ligands at low pH. In the lipocalin family, the most thoroughly studied is LCN2. LCN2, also known as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) or tropoprotein, is mainly secreted by fat cells, and other liver cells, activated lymphocytes and various epithelial cells, such as airway epithelium, lung epithelium, gastric mucosal epithelial cells, etc. There are three forms of LCN2 in vivo: monomers, homodimers, and heterodimers that bind to matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). https://www.creative-diagnostics.com/lipocalin-signaling-pathway.htm