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

In order to examine whether the positive responses of the CEACAM1 isoforms to poly I:C were caused by the up-regulation of interferons, poly I:C treated NHBE cells were analyzed for IFNα, IFNβ and IFNγ mRNA expression. IFNα and IFNγ mRNAs were not expressed at sufficient levels to allow qPCR analysis (data not shown). However, qPCR showed that poly I:C strongly induced an immediate IFNβ expression (780-fold increase after 4 h) that dissolved after 24 h ( Figure 3E ). qPCR showed that IFNγ treatment also significantly increased CEACAM5 mRNA levels in NHBE cells by 4.1-fold ( Figure 3C) . No difference in CEACAM5 mRNA levels were induced by CSE, IFNα, IFNβ, TNFα, or any of the TLR agonists. CEACAM6 expression levels in NHBE cells were not altered under any of the tested conditions ( Figure 3D ).