Aim: To investigate a possible increase of basolateral expression of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) by interfering with the apical transport machinery, we studied the effect of cholesterol depletion on CEA sorting and secretion.
Methods: Cholesterol depletion was performed in polarized Caco-2 cells using lovastatin and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin.
Results: We show that CEA is predominantly expressed and secreted at the apical surface. Reduction of the cholesterol level of the cell by 40%-50% with lovastatin and methyl-beta-cyclodextrin led to a significant change of the apical-to-basolateral transport ratio towards the basolateral membrane.
Conclusion: As basolateral expression of CEA has been suggested to have anti-inflamatory properties, Cholesterol depletion of enterocytes might be a potential approach to influence the course of inflammatory bowel disease.