Soluble carcinoembryonic antigen activates endothelial cells and tumor angiogenesis

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, CD66e, CEACAM-5) is a cell-surface-bound glycoprotein overexpressed and released by many solid tumors that has an autocrine function in cancer cell survival and differentiation. Soluble CEA released by tumors is present in the circulation of patients with cancer, where it is used as a marker for cancer progression, but whether this form of CEA exerts any effects in the tumor microenvironment is unknown. Here, we present evidence that soluble CEA is sufficient to induce proangiogenic endothelial cell behaviors, including adhesion, spreading, proliferation, and migration in vitro and tumor microvascularization in vivo. CEA-induced activation of endothelial cells was dependent on integrin β-3 signals that activate the focal-adhesion kinase and c-Src kinase and their downstream MAP-ERK kinase/extracellular signal regulated kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt effector pathways. Notably, while interference with VEGF signaling had no effect on CEA-induced endothelial cell activation, downregulation with the CEA receptor in endothelial cells attenuated CEA-induced signaling and tumor angiogenesis. Corroborating these results clinically, we found that tumor microvascularization was higher in patients with colorectal cancer exhibiting higher serum levels of soluble CEA. Together, our results elucidate a novel function for soluble CEA in tumor angiogenesis.