Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

In vitro Organoid Culture of Primary Mouse Colon Tumors
07:33

In vitro Organoid Culture of Primary Mouse Colon Tumors

Published on: May 17, 2013

Intestinal tumor progression is promoted by decreased apoptosis and dysregulated Wnt signaling in Ceacam1-/- mice

N Leung1, C Turbide, B Balachandra

  • 1McGill Cancer Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.

Oncogene
|May 6, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) loss reduces apoptosis, promoting intestinal tumor growth. CEACAM1 deficiency activates Wnt signaling, increasing tumor multiplicity and progression in mice.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • Carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) acts as a tumor suppressor, often downregulated in cancers.
  • Its role in normal intestinal function and tumorigenesis requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of CEACAM1 in the normal intestine and in intestinal tumors.
  • To determine the impact of CEACAM1 deficiency on intestinal cell apoptosis, proliferation, and migration.
  • To analyze the effect of CEACAM1 loss on Wnt signaling pathways and tumor development.

Main Methods:

  • Generation of compound knockout mouse models (Ceacam1(-/-) and Apc(1638N/+):Ceacam1(-/-)).
  • Assessment of intestinal cell apoptosis, proliferation, and migration.
  • Co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization studies to examine CEACAM1-beta-catenin interactions.
  • Analysis of Wnt signaling pathway activity (GSK3-beta, beta-catenin, TCF/LEF, c-Myc, cyclin D1).

Main Results:

  • Ceacam1(-/-) intestinal cells showed decreased apoptosis but no changes in proliferation or migration.
  • Apc(1638N/+):Ceacam1(-/-) mice exhibited increased intestinal tumor multiplicity and progression.
  • CEACAM1-L was found to associate with beta-catenin.
  • CEACAM1 deficiency led to decreased GSK3-beta activity, nuclear beta-catenin localization, and enhanced Wnt/TCF/LEF transcriptional activity.
  • Upregulation of c-Myc and cyclin D1 was observed in Ceacam1(-/-) intestine.

Conclusions:

  • CEACAM1 actively participates in Wnt signaling regulation within intestinal cells.
  • Downregulation of CEACAM1 in intestinal tissue contributes to malignancy by increasing tumor multiplicity and progression.
  • CEACAM1 loss promotes intestinal tumorigenesis through modulation of apoptosis and Wnt pathway activation.

More Related Videos

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay08:01

The Soft Agar Colony Formation Assay

Published on: October 27, 2014

Orthotopic Implantation of Patient-Derived Cancer Cells in Mice Recapitulates Advanced Colorectal Cancer06:49

Orthotopic Implantation of Patient-Derived Cancer Cells in Mice Recapitulates Advanced Colorectal Cancer

Published on: February 10, 2023

Related Concept Videos

Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Tumor Progression02:07

Tumor Progression

Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...