BCAM, also known as basal cell adhesion molecule, is a receptor for laminin subunit α5 and plays crucial roles in various biological processes. It is involved in cell adhesion, migration, and differentiation, and is associated with multiple signaling pathways such as PIK3R6/p-STAT3 [1]. BCAM is important in normal physiological functions like corneal epithelial differentiation and may have implications in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases including preeclampsia, various cancers, and potentially HIV-related atherosclerosis [2,4-7].

In preeclampsia, BCAM deficiency induced by adenovirus-mediated BCAM shRNA in pregnant rats led to a preeclampsia-like phenotype. BCAM knockdown in HTR-8/SVneo and JAR cells inhibited trophoblast proliferation, migration, and invasion, suppressing phosphorylation of STAT3 via down-regulation of PIK3R6 [1]. In gastric cancer, knockout of BCAM by the CRISPR/Cas9 system reduced the invasion and metastasis of GC cells, and depletion of BCAM inhibited GC cell migration and invasion [2].

In conclusion, BCAM is essential for processes like trophoblast function and corneal epithelial differentiation. The gene knockout models in preeclampsia and gastric cancer have revealed its role in disease-related cellular behaviors such as cell invasion and metastasis, highlighting its significance in understanding the pathogenesis of these diseases.

References:

1. Liu, Min, Liao, Lingyun, Gao, Yijie, Gao, Linbo, Zhou, Rong. 2022. BCAM Deficiency May Contribute to Preeclampsia by Suppressing the PIK3R6/p-STAT3 Signaling. In Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979), 79, 2830-2842. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.122.20085. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36252138/

2. Jin, Juan, Xie, Shanshan, Sun, Qiang, Zhuo, Wei, Zhou, Tianhua. 2020. Upregulation of BCAM and its sense lncRNA BAN are associated with gastric cancer metastasis and poor prognosis. In Molecular oncology, 14, 829-845. doi:10.1002/1878-0261.12638. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31951095/