Lipocalin 2 deficiency inhibits cell proliferation, autophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis in mouse embryonic cells.

Lipocalin 2 (LCN2) has been recently implicated as a critical player in multiple cancer tumorigeneses. However, the molecular mechanisms for its tumorigenic role are poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the effects of LCN2 on cell proliferation, autophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis in MEF cells. We observed that LCN2 deficiency significantly inhibited cell proliferation and autophagy in MEF cells. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA content, mRNA expression levels of mitochondrial-encoded gene cytochrome oxidase 2 and PGC-1α were all markedly reduced in LCN2⁻/⁻ MEF cells. Additionally, when compared with wild-type MEF cells, LCN2⁻/⁻ MEF cells expressed significantly higher levels of IRS-1, and displayed more potent TNFα-stimulated NF-κB activation. These findings demonstrate that LCN2 is a critical regulator of cell proliferation, autophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis.