Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-related cell adhesion molecules are co-expressed in the human lung and their expression can be modulated in bronchial epithelial cells by non-typable Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, TLR3, and type I and II interferons

Klaile, Esther; Klassert, Tilman E; Scheffrahn, Inka; Müller, Mario M; Heinrich, Annina; Heyl, Kerstin A; Dienemann, Hendrik; Grünewald, Christiane; Bals, Robert; Singer, Bernhard B; Slevogt, Hortense

influenza that both colonize about one third of all COPD patients and cause acute exacerbations. While we did not find a direct correlation between CEACAM expression and COPD, these COPD-linked bacteria were able to increase the expression of their own receptor on host cells. We also propose a role for the constitutively expressed CEACAM6 as well as CEACAM1 and CEACAM5 in the phenomenon of increased host susceptibility to bacterial infection upon viral challenge in the human respiratory tract, as it occours for example in COPD patients, since either enhanced CEACAM1 expression induced by viruses or the COPD-associated changes in the function of the mucociliary clearance that will allow an easy access to CEACAMs on respiratory epithelia are likely to increase bacterial colonization.