ArticleThe Journal of clinical investigation2014
α-Intercalated cells defend the urinary system from bacterial infection.
Article in The Journal of clinical investigation, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 118 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
118 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 147 citations in OpenAlex.
- The value of procalcitonin and urinary NGAL in the prediction of acute pyelonephritis and kidney scarring in pediatric patients with a history of febrile urinary tract infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Pooled it
- Evaluation of diagnostic accuracy of urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in patients with symptoms of urinary tract infections: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Accuracy of NGAL as a Biomarker for Urinary Tract Infection in Young Febrile Children: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis.The Journal of pediatrics · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the (Un)known Host Immune Response Biomarkers for Predicting Recurrence of Urinary Tract Infection.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin for urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis: a systematic review.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2021Pooled it
- Urinary tract infections in children.Nature reviews. Urology · 2026Review
- Inherited Susceptibility to Urinary Tract Infections from Kidney Papilla to Bladder.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- A posttranslational modification of fimbriae drives pathogenicity inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Diagnostic Accuracy of Urine Microbial Diversity and Urine Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin for the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections in Children with Spina Bifida.The Journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Single-nucleus transcriptomics illuminates sex differences during murine Escherichia coli pyelonephritis.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Molecular mechanisms of acute inflammation: systemic responses and kidney-specific pathophysiology.Function (Oxford, England) · 2026Review
- Urobiota analysis and genome-wide association study in pediatric recurrent urinary tract infections and vesicoureteral reflux.JCI insight · 2026Article
- Differential Effects of Uropathogenic and Non-UropathogenicResearch and reports in urology · 2026Article
- Immunomodulatory Functions of Intercalated Cells in Kidney Autoimmunity.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Single-nucleus transcriptomics illuminates sex differences during murine Escherichia coli pyelonephritis.Research square · 2025Article
- Serum neutrophil gelatinase associated Lipocalin as a novel biomarker for diagnosing acute pyelonephritis in adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Proton-Secreting Cells as Drivers of Inflammation and Sperm Dysfunction in LPS-Induced Epididymitis.Function (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- The immune mechanisms of the urinary tract against infections.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2025Review
- Article
- Biomarkers for urinary tract infection: present and future perspectives.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2024Review
58 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
31 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
α-Intercalated cells (A-ICs) within the collecting duct of the kidney are critical for acid-base homeostasis. Here, we have shown that A-ICs also serve as both sentinels and effectors in the defense against urinary infections. In a murine urinary tract infection model, A-ICs bound uropathogenic E. coli and responded by acidifying the urine and secreting the bacteriostatic protein lipocalin 2 (LCN2; also known as NGAL). A-IC-dependent LCN2 secretion required TLR4, as mice expressing an LPS-insensitive form of TLR4 expressed reduced levels of LCN2. The presence of LCN2 in urine was both necessary and sufficient to control the urinary tract infection through iron sequestration, even in the harsh condition of urine acidification. In mice lacking A-ICs, both urinary LCN2 and urinary acidification were reduced, and consequently bacterial clearance was limited. Together these results indicate that A-ICs, which are known to regulate acid-base metabolism, are also critical for urinary defense against pathogenic bacteria. They respond to both cystitis and pyelonephritis by delivering bacteriostatic chemical agents to the lower urinary system.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.