Fig. 1

Mtb-induced LCN2 is associated with MHC class I molecule expression in BMDCs. A, B BMDCs derived from WT mice were infected with Mtb at an MOI of 1 for the indicated time periods. BMDCs were screened for the induction of LCN2 mRNA and protein during Mtb infection. C BMDCs derived from WT mice were infected with Mtb at a range MOI of 1 to 5 for 48 h and then screed for LCN2 protein. Western blot bands corresponding to each protein were quantified, and the intensity of each target protein was normalized to the intensity of the β-actin loading control. The normalized ratio of the unstimulated control (UN) was set as 1.0 to compare target protein abundance in different samples. The normalized ratio is shown at the bottom of the blots. A representative blot from three independent experiments is shown. D–G BMDCs derived from WT and LCN2^−/− mice were infected with Mtb at an MOI of 1 for 48 h. Expression levels of CD80, CD86, and MHC classes I and II molecules were analyzed on CD11c⁺-gated BMDCs by flow cytometry using specific antibodies. Data are shown as mean ± SD (n = 12). Statistically significant differences are determined by Mann–Whitney test (non‐parametric unpaired two-tailed t-test). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001