Lipocalin-2 perpetuates postoperative and post-infectious neuroinflammation and anxiety-like behavior.
Overview
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Michigan Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Abstract
Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is a pleiotropic cytokine with well-established roles in immune defense, iron metabolism, and inflammation that has been used as a biomarker for kidney injury, cancer, and infection. Recent work has also suggested a role for LCN2 in brain function and behavior, suggesting that LCN2 excess could be a driver of neuropsychiatric complications of infectious and inflammatory conditions. Here, we show that LCN2 levels remain elevated in both the brain and circulation for weeks after an acute infection or simple laparotomy in male and female mice. We used an inducible knockout mouse model to decrease lcn2 expression after recovery from surgery and infection and found that higher brain lcn2 RNA levels predicted persistent neuroinflammation and anxiety-like behavior in survivors. Exogenous LCN2 administration increased in vivo activity of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells and increased anxiety-like behavior in male mice. Together, these findings reveal a novel role for LCN2 as a neuroinflammatory mediator of long-term neuropsychiatric dysfunction in infection survivors.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.
Code
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Data
Datasets cited
- geo:GSE138630, at NCBI GEO; found in “Data availability”
Data availability
This study analyzes previously generated data from our laboratory, which is publicly available at GEO NCBI under accession number GSE225868 (https://
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.
Versions
The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.
Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, pages, dates, 9 authors, 8 keywords, 13 MeSH terms, 11 funders, 73 references.
Cite
This paper
Yang, S. E., Meng, J., Johnston, C., Gavade, S., Schwieterman, W., Hubert, H. E., Newstead, M. W., Singer, B. H., & Spencer-Segal, J. L. (2026). Lipocalin-2 perpetuates postoperative and post-infectious neuroinflammation and anxiety-like behavior. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 136, 106535. https://
BibTeX
@article{yang2026lipocal
author = {Yang, Shany E and Meng, Jennifer and Johnston, Colin and Gavade, Swapnil and Schwieterman, Will and Hubert, Holland E and Newstead, Michael W and Singer, Benjamin H and Spencer-Segal, Joanna L},
title = {{Lipocalin-2 perpetuates postoperative and post-infectious neuroinflammation and anxiety-like behavior}},
journal = {Brain, behavior, and immunity},
year = {2026},
month = mar,
volume = {136},
pages = {106535},
publisher = {Elsevier BV},
issn = {0889-1591},
doi = {10.1016/
url = {https://
pmid = {41819240},
pmcid = {PMC13455570}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Yang, Shany E
AU - Meng, Jennifer
AU - Johnston, Colin
AU - Gavade, Swapnil
AU - Schwieterman, Will
AU - Hubert, Holland E
AU - Newstead, Michael W
AU - Singer, Benjamin H
AU - Spencer-Segal, Joanna L
TI - Lipocalin-2 perpetuates postoperative and post-infectious neuroinflammation and anxiety-like behavior
T2 - Brain, behavior, and immunity
J2 - Brain Behav Immun
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 136
SP - 106535
SN - 0889-1591
PB - Elsevier BV
DO - 10.1016/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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"container-title": "Brain, behavior, and immunity",
"author": [
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"language": "en",
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