G-protein coupled receptor 124 (GPR124) in endothelial cells regulates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced tumor angiogenesis.

G protein-coupled receptor 124 (GPR124; also called tumor endothelial marker 5, TEM5) is highly expressed in tumor vasculature. While recent studies have revealed a role in vasculogenesis, evidence for GPR124 function in tumor angiogenesis is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that GPR124 is required for VEGF-induced tumor angiogenesis. GPR124 silencing in human endothelial cells inhibited mouse xenograft tumor angiogenic vessel formation and tumor growth. GPR124 regulated VEGF-induced tumor angiogenic processes in vitro including cell-cell interaction, permeability, migration, invasion, and tube formation. Therefore, GPR124 plays a key role in VEGF-induced tumor angiogenesis.