Role of CEACAM1 as a regulator of T cells.

A major immunological attribute of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the presence of unrestrained activation of T cells that produce a variety of inflammatory cytokines and other mediators. Gaining an understanding of T cell regulation is therefore of major importance to IBD. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 CEACAM1) is a novel protein that has been recently recognized as being expressed by immune cells and T lymphocytes, in particular; this protein appears to function as a coinhibitory receptor after T cell activation. Ligation of CEACAM1 on T cells induces a signal cascade that leads inhibition of T cell cytokine production and IBD. CEACAM1 is thus a novel potential therapeutic target in the treatment of IBD.