Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 3 (CEACAM3) also known as CD66d (Cluster of Differentiation 66d), is a member of the
carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
family..
This gene encodes a member of the family of
carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs), which are used by several bacterial
pathogens
In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...
to bind and invade host cells. The encoded
transmembrane
A transmembrane protein (TP) is a type of integral membrane protein that spans the entirety of the cell membrane. Many transmembrane proteins function as gateways to permit the transport of specific substances across the membrane. They frequent ...
protein directs
phagocytosis
Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs phagocytosis is ...
of several bacterial species that is dependent on the small
GTPase Rac. It is thought to serve an important role in controlling human-specific pathogens by the innate immune system. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been described, but their biological validity has not been determined.
Use
CEACAM3 is expressed exclusively on
granulocytes
Granulocytes are
cells in the innate immune system characterized by the presence of specific granules in their cytoplasm. Such granules distinguish them from the various agranulocytes. All myeloblastic granulocytes are polymorphonuclear. They ha ...
and used as granulocyte marker.
[CEACAM3: an innate immune receptor directed against human-restricted bacterial pathogens. Pils S, Gerrard DT, Meyer A, Hauck CR. Int J Med Microbiol. 2008 Oct;298(7-8):553-60.]
See also
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Cluster of differentiation
The cluster of differentiation (also known as cluster of designation or classification determinant and often abbreviated as CD) is a protocol used for the identification and investigation of cell surface molecules providing targets for immunophen ...
References
Further reading
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External links
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Clusters of differentiation
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