Genetic Alterations and Expression Pattern of CEACAM1 in Colorectal Adenomas and Cancers

An investigation into the role of inherited CEACAM gene family variants and colorectal cancer risk

Objective

This study was designed to determine if CEACAM mutations are associated with inherited risk of colorectal cancer. Recently, protein-truncating mutations in the CEACAM gene family were associated with inherited breast cancer risk. That discovery, along with aberrant expression of CEACAM genes in colorectal cancer tumors and that colorectal cancer and breast cancer share many risk factors, including genetics, inspired our team to search for inherited CEACAM mutations in colorectal cancer cases. Specifically utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) blood-derived whole-exome sequencing data from the colorectal cancer cohort, rare protein-truncating variants and missense variants were investigated through single variant and aggregation analyses in European American and African American cases and compared to ethnic-matched controls.

Results

A total of 34 and 14 different CEACAM variants were identified in European American and African American colorectal cancer cases, respectively. Nine missense variants were individually associated with risk, two in African Americans and seven in European Americans. No identified protein-truncating variants were associated with CRC risk in either ethnicity. Gene family and gene-specific aggregation analyses did not yield any significant results.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13104-022-05907-6.

CEACAM Gene Family Mutations Associated With Inherited Breast Cancer Risk - A Comparative Oncology Approach to Discovery

Introduction

Recent studies comparing canine mammary tumors (CMTs) and human breast cancers have revealed remarkable tumor similarities, identifying shared expression profiles and acquired mutations. CMTs can also provide a model of inherited breast cancer susceptibility in humans; thus, we investigated breed-specific whole genome sequencing (WGS) data in search for novel CMT risk factors that could subsequently explain inherited breast cancer risk in humans.

Methods

WGS was carried out on five CMT-affected Gold Retrievers from a large pedigree of 18 CMT-affected dogs. Protein truncating variants (PTVs) detected in all five samples (within human orthlogs) were validated and then genotyped in the 13 remaining CMT-affected Golden Retrievers. Allele frequencies were compared to canine controls. Subsequently, human blood-derived exomes from The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer cases were analyzed and allele frequencies were compared to Exome Variant Server ethnic-matched controls.

Results

Carcinoembryonic Antigen-related Cell Adhesion Molecule 24 (CEACAM24) c.247dupG;p.(Val83Glyfs^∗48) was the only validated variant and had a frequency of 66.7% amongst the 18 Golden Retrievers with CMT. This was significant compared to the European Variation Archive (p-value 1.52 × 10^–8) and non-Golden Retriever American Kennel Club breeds (p-value 2.48 × 10^–5). With no direct ortholog of CEACAM24 in humans but high homology to all CEACAM gene family proteins, all human CEACAM genes were investigated for PTVs. A total of six and sixteen rare PTVs were identified in African and European American breast cancer cases, respectively. Single variant assessment revealed five PTVs associated with breast cancer risk. Gene-based aggregation analyses revealed that rare PTVs in CEACAM6, CEACAM7, and CEACAM8 are associated with European American breast cancer risk, and rare PTVs in CEACAM7 are associated with breast cancer risk in African Americans. Ultimately, rare PTVs in the entire CEACAM gene family are associated with breast cancer risk in both European and African Americans with respective p-values of 1.75 × 10^–13 and 1.87 × 10^–04.

Conclusion

This study reports the first association of inherited CEACAM mutations and breast cancer risk, and potentially implicates the whole gene family in genetic risk. Precisely how these mutations contribute to breast cancer needs to be determined; especially considering our current knowledge on the role that the CEACAM gene family plays in tumor development, progression, and metastasis.

Potential prognostic markers and significant lncRNA-mRNA co-expression pairs in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

lncRNA-mRNA co-expression pairs and prognostic markers related to the development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) were investigated. The lncRNA and mRNA expression data of LSCC in GSE84957 and RNA-seq data of 112 LSCC samples from TCGA database were used. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) between LSCC and para-cancer tissues were identified. Co-expression analysis of DEGs and DE-lncRNA was conducted. Protein-protein interaction network for co-expressed DEGs of top 25 DE-lncRNA was constructed, followed by survival analysis for key nodes in co-expression network. Finally, expressions of several DE-lncRNAs and DEGs were verified using qRT-PCR. The lncRNA-mRNA network showed that ANKRD20A5P, C21orf15, CYP4F35P, LOC_I2_011146, XLOC_006053, XLOC_I2_003881, and LOC100506027 were highlighted in network. Some DEGs, including FUT7, PADI1, PPL, ARHGAP40, MUC21, and CEACAM1, were co-expressed with above lncRNAs. Survival analysis showed that PLOD1, GLT25D1, and KIF22 were significantly associated with prognosis. qRT-PCR results showed that the expressions of MUC21, CEACAM1, FUT7, PADI1, PPL, ARHGAP40, ANKRD20A5P, C21orf15, CYP4F35P, XLOC_I2_003881, LOC_I2_011146, and XLOC_006053 were downregulated, whereas the expression of LOC100506027 was upregulated in LSCC tissues. PLOD1, GLT25D1, and KIF22 may be potential prognostic markers in the development of LSCC. C21orf15-MUC21/CEACAM1/FUT7/PADI1/PPL/ARHGAP40 are potential lncRNA-mRNA pairs that play significant roles in the development of LSCC.

High expression of carcinoembryonic antigen-associated cell adhesion molecule 1 is associated with microangiogenesis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Carcinoembryonic antigen-associated cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) plays an important role in tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis by regulating angiogenesis. However, the expression of CEACAM1 in esophageal cancer tissues and its relationship with microvessel density (MVD) has not been investigated before.

Methods

MVD and the expression of CEACAM1 in 80 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Statistical analyses were conducted to test the associations between CEACAM1 expression, MVD level, clinicopathologic factors, and prognosis.

Results

The expression level of CEACAM1 was significantly correlated with the level of MVD. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant correlations between local recurrence and distant metastasis in high MVD and high CEACAM-1 expression group. Kaplan-Meier analysis also showed a poorer survival rate in patients with high MVD or high CEACAM-1. Univariate analysis showed that MVD levels, CEACAM1 expression, lymph node metastasis, and patient's age were prognostic factors for postoperative ESCC. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that the significance of the prognostic effect of CEACAM-1 expression observed by univariate analysis disappeared when analyzed together with MVD, suggesting that the prognostic impact of CEACAM1 expression was dependent on MVD level, while MVD was still a significant prognostic factor for adverse cancer-related survival (P=0.001).

Conclusions

The CEACAM1 expression is a potential prognostic factor for postoperative ESCC combined with MVD level.

The old CEACAMs find their new role in tumor immunotherapy

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) contain 12 family members(CEACAM1、CEACAM3、CEACAM4、CEACAM5、CEACAM6、CEACAM7、CEACAM8、CEACAM16、CEACAM18、CEACAM19、CEACAM20 and CEACAM21)and are expressed diversely in different normal and tumor tissues. CEA (CEACAM5) has been used as a tumor biomarker since 1965. Here we review the latest research and development of the structures, expression, and function of CEACAMs in normal and tumor tissues, and their application in the tumor diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. We focus on recent clinical studies of CEA targeted cancer immunotherapies, including bispecific antibody (BsAb) for radio-immuno-therapy and imaging, bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) and chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T). We summarize the promising clinical relevance and challenges of these approaches and give perspective view for future research. This review has important implications in understanding the diversified biology of CEACAMs in normal and tumor tissues, and their new role in tumor immunotherapy.

Cell-dependent regulation of vasculogenic mimicry by carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1)

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) promotes tumor migration, metastasis, and invasion in various types of cancer, but the relationship between VM and these phenotypes remains undefined. In this study, we examined carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) as a novel target of VM. We found that ectopic expression of CEACAM1 in HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cells suppressed the formation of a VM-like network. Further, cell migration and proliferation were abated by the introduction of CEACAM1 into HT1080 cells. Conversely, knockout (KO) of the CEACAM1 gene in SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells, which normally express high levels of CEACAM1, inhibited formation of a VM-like network, which was covered on reintroduction of CEACAM1. These results suggest that CEACAM1 differentially regulates formation of the VM-like network between cancer cell types and implicate CEACAM1 as a novel therapeutic target in malignant cancer.

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CEACAM1 is not expressed in HT1080 cells, and overexpression of CEACAM1 in HT1080 cells suppresses vasculogenic mimicry.

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CEACAM1 is highly expressed in SK-MEL-28 cells, and deletion of CEACAM1 in SK-MEL-28 cells abolishes vasculogenic mimicry.

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CEACAM1 regulates vasculogenic mimicry in a cell-dependent manner.

TIM3 comes of age as an inhibitory receptor

T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM3), a member of the TIM family, was originally identified as a receptor expressed on interferon-γ-producing CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. Initial data indicated that TIM3 functioned as a 'co-inhibitory' or 'checkpoint' receptor, but due to the lack of a definable inhibitory signalling motif, it was also suggested that TIM3 might act as a co-stimulatory receptor. Recent studies have shown that TIM3 is part of a module that contains multiple co-inhibitory receptors (checkpoint receptors), which are co-expressed and co-regulated on dysfunctional or 'exhausted' T cells in chronic viral infections and cancer. Furthermore, co-blockade of TIM3 and programmed cell death 1 (PD1) can result in tumour regression in preclinical models and can improve anticancer T cell responses in patients with advanced cancers. Here, we highlight the developments in understanding TIM3 biology, including novel ligand identification and the discovery of loss-of-function mutations associated with human disease. In addition, we summarize emerging data from human clinical trials showing that TIM3 indeed acts as a 'checkpoint' receptor and that inhibition of TIM3 enhances the antitumour effect of PD1 blockade.

On the Dual Role of Carcinoembryonic Antigen-Related Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (CEACAM1) in Human Malignancies

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is a glycoprotein belonging to the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) family that is expressed on a wide variety of cells and holds a complex role in inflammation through its alternate splicing and generation of various isoforms, mediating intricate mechanisms of modulation and dysregulation. Initially regarded as a tumor suppressor as its expression shows considerable downregulation within the epithelia in the early phases of many solid cancers, CEACAM1 has been linked lately to the progression of malignancy and metastatic spread as various papers point to its role in tumor progression, angiogenesis, and invasion. We reviewed the literature and discussed the various expression patterns of CEACAM1 in different types of tumors, describing its structure and general biologic functions and emphasizing the most significant findings that link this molecule to poor prognosis. The importance of understanding the role of CEACAM1 in cell transformation stands not only in this adhesion molecule's value as a prognostic factor but also in its promising premise as a potential new molecular target that could be exploited as a specific cancer therapy.

CEACAM1 in Liver Injury, Metabolic and Immune Regulation

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is expressed on epithelial, endothelial and immune cells. CEACAM1 is a differentiation antigen involved in the maintenance of epithelial polarity that is induced during hepatocyte differentiation and liver regeneration. CEACAM1 regulates insulin sensitivity by promoting hepatic insulin clearance, and controls liver tolerance and mucosal immunity. Obese insulin-resistant humans with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease manifest loss of hepatic CEACAM1. In mice, deletion or functional inactivation of CEACAM1 impairs insulin clearance and compromises metabolic homeostasis which initiates the development of obesity and hepatic steatosis and fibrosis with other features of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and adipogenesis in white adipose depot. This is followed by inflammation and endothelial and cardiovascular dysfunctions. In obstructive and inflammatory liver diseases, soluble CEACAM1 is shed into human bile where it can serve as an indicator of liver disease. On immune cells, CEACAM1 acts as an immune checkpoint regulator, and deletion of Ceacam1 gene in mice causes exacerbation of inflammation and hyperactivation of myeloid cells and lymphocytes. Hence, hepatic CEACAM1 resides at the central hub of immune and metabolic homeostasis in both humans and mice. This review focuses on the regulatory role of CEACAM1 in liver and biliary tract architecture in health and disease, and on its metabolic role and function as an immune checkpoint regulator of hepatic inflammation.

Up-regulation of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 in gastrointestinal cancer and its clinical relevance

Serum carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is dysregulated in various malignant tumors and has been associated with tumor progression. However, the expression and regulatory mechanisms of serum CEACAM1 in gastrointestinal cancer are still unclear. The expression ratio of the CEACAM1-L and CEACAM1-S isoforms has seldom been investigated in gastrointestinal cancer. In this study, we intended to explore the expression and diagnostic value of CEACAM1 in gastrointestinal cancer. Serum CEACAM1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein expression and distribution of CEACAM1 in tumors were examined by immunohistochemical staining. The expression patterns and ratio of CEACAM1-L/S were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that serum CEACAM1 levels were significantly higher in cancer patients than in healthy controls. CEACAM1 was found in secreted forms within the neoplastic glands, and its expression was more intense at the tumor invasion front. The CEACAM1-L/S (L:S) ratios were up-regulated during tumorigenesis. Our data suggest that the serum level of CEACAM1 may be used to discriminate gastrointestinal cancer patients from health controls.

CEACAM1 as a multi-purpose target for cancer immunotherapy

CEACAM1 is an extensively studied cell surface molecule with established functions in multiple cancer types, as well as in various compartments of the immune system. Due to its multi-faceted role as a recently appreciated immune checkpoint inhibitor and tumor marker, CEACAM1 is an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. Herein, we highlight CEACAM1's function in various immune compartments and cancer types, including in the context of metastatic disease. This review outlines CEACAM1's role as a therapeutic target for cancer treatment in light of these properties.

Co-expression of TIM-3 and CEACAM1 promotes T cell exhaustion in colorectal cancer patients

T-cell immunoglobulin domain and mucin domain-3(TIM-3) is an activation induced inhibitory molecule involved in immune tolerance and is recently reported to induce T cell exhaustion which is mediated by carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1(CEACAM1), another well-known molecule expressed on activated T cells and involved in T cell inhibition. To investigate the expression of TIM-3 and CEACAM1 on circulating CD8⁺ T cells and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), 65 diagnosed colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and 38 healthy controls were enrolled in this study and the results showed that TIM-3 and CEACAM1 were both highly expressed on circulating CD8⁺ T cells in CRC patients and elevated on TILs compared with paraneoplastic T cells. Furthermore, TIM-3⁺CEACAM1⁺ CD8⁺ T cells represented the most dysfunctional population with the least IFN-γ production. In addition, the expressions of TIM-3 and CEACAM1 were correlated with advanced stage and could be independent risk factors for CRC. We for the first time to our knowledge suggested that co-expression of TIM-3 and CEACAM1 can mediate T cell exhaustion and may be potential biomarkers for CRC prediction, highlighting the possibility of being immunotherapy targets.

Down-regulation of CEACAM1 in breast cancer

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is a type 1 transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the CEA family, which has been found to exist as either soluble forms in body fluids or membrane-bound forms on the cell surface. Aberrant CEACAM1 expression is associated with tumor progression and has been found in a variety of human malignancies. Increasing interest has been devoted to the expression of CEACAM1 in breast cancer, but most of these findings are contradictory. The aim of this study was to investigate CEACAM1 expression in breast cancer in greater detail. Using immunohistochemical staining, we found that CEACAM1 expression was reduced or lost in breast cancer tissues compared with noncancerous breast tissues. In addition, soluble CEACAM1 levels in the culture medium of breast cancer cell lines were significantly lower than those in a nontumorigenic breast epithelial cell line. Immunofluorescence analysis consistently showed that breast cancer cell lines have relatively low expression of membrane-bound CEACAM1. Furthermore, CEACAM1 mRNA and protein expression levels were down-regulated in breast cancer cell lines as measured using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. Taken together, our results demonstrate a systematic down-regulation of CEACAM1 in breast cancer and suggest that a strategy to restore CEACAM1 expression may be helpful for the treatment of breast cancer.

Clinical and experimental studies regarding the expression and diagnostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 in non-small-cell lung cancer

Background

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is a multifunctional Ig-like cell adhesion molecule that has a wide range of biological functions. According to previous reports, serum CEACAM1 is dysregulated in different malignant tumours and associated with tumour progression. However, the serum CEACAM1 expression in non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) is unclear. The different expression ratio of CEACAM1-S and CEACAM1-L isoform has seldom been investigated in NSCLC. This research is intended to study the serum CEACAM1 and the ratio of CEACAM1-S/L isoforms in NSCLC.

Methods

The expression of the serum CEACAM1 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein expression and the location of CEACAM1 in tumours were observed by immunohistochemical staining. The CEACAM1 mRNA levels in tumour and normal adjacent tissues were measured using quantitative real-time PCR, and the expression patterns and the rate of CEACAM1-S and CEACAM1-L were analysed by reverse transcription-PCR.

Results

Serum CEACAM1 levels were significantly higher in NSCLC patients compared with that from normal healthy controls (P <0.0001). 17 patients (81%) among 21 showed high expression of CEACAM1 by immunohistochemical staining. Although no significant differences were found between tumour and normal tissues on mRNA expression levels of CEACAM1 (P >0.05), the CEACAM1-S and the CEACAM1-S/L (S: L) ratios were significantly higher in tumour than normal tissues (P <0.05).

Conclusions

Our data indicated that the serum levels of CEACAM1 could discriminate lung cancer patients from health donors and that CEACAM1 might be a useful marker in early diagnosis of NSCLC. Moreover, our results showed that the expression patterns of CEACAM1 isoforms could be changed during oncogenesis, even when total CEACAM1 in tumour tissues did not show significant changes. Our study suggested that the expression ratios of CEACAM1-S/CEACAM1-L might be a better diagnostic indicator in NSCLC than the quantitative changes of CEACAM1.

Host-related carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 promotes metastasis of colorectal cancer

Liver metastasis is the predominant cause of colorectal cancer (CRC)-related mortality in developed countries. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is a cell adhesion molecule with reduced expression in early phases of CRC development and thus functions as a tumor growth inhibitor. However, CEACAM1 is upregulated in metastatic colon cancer, suggesting a bimodal role in CRC progression. To investigate the role of this protein in the host metastatic environment, Ceacam1(-/-) mice were injected intrasplenically with metastatic MC38 mouse CRC cells. A significant reduction in metastatic burden was observed in Ceacam1(-/-) compared with wild-type (WT) livers. Intravital microscopy showed decreased early survival of MC38 cells in Ceacam1(-/-) endothelial environment. Metastatic cell proliferation within the Ceacam1(-/-) livers was also diminished. Bone marrow-derived cell recruitment, attenuation of immune infiltrates and diminished CCL2, CCL3 and CCL5 chemokine production participated in the reduced Ceacam1(-/-) metastatic phenotype. Transplantations of WT bone marrow (BM) into Ceacam1(-/-) mice fully rescued metastatic development, whereas Ceacam1(-/-) BM transfer into WT mice showed reduced metastatic burden. Chimeric immune cell profiling revealed diminished recruitment of CD11b(+)Gr1(+) myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) to Ceacam1(-/-) metastatic livers and adoptive transfer of MDSCs confirmed the involvement of these immune cells in reduction of liver metastasis. CEACAM1 may represent a novel metastatic CRC target for treatment.

Different expression patterns of CEACAM1 and its impacts on angiogenesis in gastric nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to investigate the expression patterns of CEACAM1 and its relationship with angiogenesis in nonneoplastic and neoplastic gastric lesions.

METHODS

CEACAM1 and TGF-β expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining and dual-labeling immunohistochemical staining in neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions. MVD-CD31 and MVD-CD105 were counted in CEACAM1-positive areas by dual-labeling immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

There was no expression of CEACAM1 in normal gastric mucosa. In IM and GIN, CEACAM1 was mainly expressed with membranous pattern. CEACAM1 was expressed with membranous pattern in well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, with cytoplasmic pattern in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, and with cytoplasmic and membranous pattern mixed together in intermediately adenocarcinoma. The expression patterns of CEACAM1 showed a significant difference (P < 0.05) in nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Coexpression of CEACAM1 and TGF-β was elevated and significantly different from nonneoplastic to neoplastic lesions (P < 0.05). Moreover, CEACAM1 and TGF-β coexpression were related to carcinoma progression (r = 0.35; P < 0.05). MVD-CD31 and MVD-CD105 showed significant differences from nonneoplastic to neoplastic lesions (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

CEACAM1 has different expression patterns in nonneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. The coexpression of CEACAM1 and TGF-β increased from nonneoplastic to neoplastic lesions and may be related with tumor progression via promoting tumorous angiogenesis.