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Review

Nature Reviews Immunology 6, 433–446 (1 June 2006) | doi:10.1038/nri1864

CEACAM1: contact-dependent control of immunity

Scott D. Gray-Owen & Richard S. Blumberg

The carcinoembryonic-antigen-related cell-adhesion molecule (CEACAM) family of proteins has been implicated in various intercellular-adhesion and intracellular-signalling-mediated effects that govern the growth and differentiation of normal and cancerous cells. Recent studies show that there is an important role for members of the CEACAM family in modulating the immune responses associated with infection, inflammation and cancer. In this Review, we consider the evidence for CEACAM involvement in immunity, with a particular emphasis on CEACAM1, which functions as a regulatory co-receptor for both lymphoid and myeloid cell types.