Transcriptional Regulation of the Carcinoembryonic Antigen Gene

Human carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) belongs to a family of membrane glycoproteins that are overexpressed in many carcinomas; CEA functions in vitro as a homotypic intercellular adhesion molecule and can inhibit differentiation when expressed ectopically in myoblasts. The regulation of expression of CEA is therefore of considerable interest. The CEA gene promoter region between -403 and -124 base pairs upstream of the translation initiation site directed high levels of expression in CEA-expression SW403 cells and was 3 times more active in differentiated than in undifferentiated Caco-2 cells, correlating exactly with the 3-fold increase in CEA mRNA seen in differentiated Caco-2 cells. Inclusion of additional upstream sequences between -1098 and -403 base pairs repressed all activity. By in vitro footprinting and deletion analyses, four cis-acting elements were mapped within the positive regulatory region, and one element within the silencing region. Several nuclear factors binding to these domains were identified: USF, Sp1, and an Sp1-like factor. By co-transfection, USF directly activated the CEA gene promoter in vivo in both SW403 and Caco-2 cells. In addition, the levels of factors binding to each positively acting element increased dramatically with differentiation in Caco-2 cells. Thus the transcriptional control of the CEA gene depends on the interaction of several regulatory elements that bind multiple specific factors.