CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) and CEACAM6 (CEA-Related Cell Adhesion Molecul 6) are Expressed in Psoriasis Vulgaris

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) belong to a group of mammalian immunoglobulin-related glycoproteins. The CEACAM family of proteins has been implicated in intracellular-signalingmediated effects that govern the growth and differentiation of normal and cancer cells. In this study, the expression of CEACAMs was studied immunohistochemically in the skin of patients with psoriasis, using a panel of polyclonal (PoAb) and monoclonal (F34-187, F33-104, and F106-88) antibodies that recognize different epitopes of CEA and related molecules (CEACAMs), in comparison with the expression of cell differentiation and proliferation markers, such as involucrin, PCNA, Ki-67 and CK16. The expression of these molecules in adjacent parts without eruptions was also investigated for comparison. The three CEACAMs, CEACAM1, CEA and CEACAM6, were expressed, limited to the upper part of the proliferated epidermal cells which expressed involucrin in the psoriatic lesions. Only the upper epidermal cell layers of the psoriatic lesions expressed these markers more highly than the adjacent normal skin. These results suggested that the expression of CEACAMs is related to epidermal cell de-differentiation in the diseased skin of psoriasis vulgaris.