NGAL
NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, encoded by the LCN2 gene and also known as lipocalin 2 or 24p3) is a secreted iron-trafficking lipocalin. It contributes to innate immunity, apoptosis and renal development, and is an early biomarker of acute kidney injury. Browse Assay Genie's current range of NGAL research reagents below, or read on for the biology behind the target.
NGAL is an iron-trafficking protein involved in apoptosis, innate immunity and renal development. It binds iron through association with 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid (2,3-DHBA), a siderophore that shares structural similarities with bacterial enterobactin, and depending on the context it either delivers iron to the cell or removes it. The iron-bound form (holo-24p3) is internalised after binding the SLC22A17 (24p3R) receptor, which releases iron and raises intracellular iron concentration. The iron-free form (apo-24p3) also engages SLC22A17, but then associates with an intracellular siderophore, chelates iron and transfers it to the extracellular medium, lowering intracellular iron.
This iron handling underlies its role in apoptosis following interleukin-3 (IL3) deprivation. The iron-loaded form raises intracellular iron without promoting apoptosis, whereas the iron-free form lowers intracellular iron and induces the proapoptotic protein BCL2L11/BIM, resulting in cell death. In innate immunity, NGAL limits bacterial proliferation by sequestering iron bound to microbial siderophores such as enterobactin, and it can also bind siderophores from M. tuberculosis. Mice lacking the gene are more susceptible to bacterial infection than wild-type mice.
The LCN2 gene encodes a member of the lipocalin family, part of the calycin superfamily. Lipocalins transport small hydrophobic molecules such as lipids, steroid hormones and retinoids. The protein is found in secreted form and in cytoplasmic granule and vesicle lumens, and its presence in blood and urine is an early biomarker of acute kidney injury. NGAL is also thought to contribute to maintenance of skin homeostasis and to suppression of invasiveness and metastasis. The gene was previously named lipocalin 2 (oncogene 24p3), and mouse and rat both have an Lcn2 ortholog.
NGAL in blood and urine is an early biomarker of acute kidney injury, making it a key analyte in renal injury research.
NGAL limits bacterial growth by sequestering siderophore-bound iron, and Lcn2-deficient mice show greater susceptibility to bacterial infection.
Holo and apo forms deliver or remove iron via the SLC22A17 receptor, allowing study of siderophore-mediated iron trafficking.
NGAL influences IL3-deprivation apoptosis through BIM and is linked to suppression of invasiveness and metastasis.
NGAL is an iron-trafficking lipocalin. It binds siderophore-associated iron and, through the SLC22A17 receptor, delivers iron to cells or removes it. It limits bacterial growth by sequestering microbial siderophores, and it is involved in apoptosis and renal development.
NGAL is the abbreviation of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. The gene symbol is LCN2, for lipocalin 2, and the protein is also called 24p3. The gene was previously named lipocalin 2 (oncogene 24p3). The 24p3R name is sometimes used for its receptor, SLC22A17.
Mouse and rat both have an Lcn2 ortholog, and mice lacking the gene are more susceptible to bacterial infection. In humans, NGAL in blood and urine is an early biomarker of acute kidney injury. Check the datasheet of any product for its validated reactivity.
Other lipocalin family members that share the calycin fold with NGAL.
Gene and protein annotations from HGNC, NCBI Gene and UniProt P80188; product specifications from Assay Genie datasheets.