Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is an aggressive disease with poor survival and is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Gastroesophageal reflux is a common event in SCCHN patients. GPR4 is a proton-sensing G-protein coupled receptor, which can be activated by acidosis. The objective of this study was to explore the role of GPR4 in acid exposure and tumor angiogenesis in SCCHN. In this study, we confirmed that overexpressing GPR4 in SCCHN cells could increase the expression and secretion of IL6, IL8 and VEGFA at pH 5.9. This effect could be inhibited by SB203580 (a p38 inhibitor). Western blot analysis indicated that phosphorylation of p38 increased in GPR4 infected cells at pH 5.9, which could be inhibited by SB203580. In tube formation assay, HMEC-1 cells were incubated with conditioned medium (CM, pH 5.9, 6.5, 7.4) derived from control and GPR4 infected SCCHN cells. Tube length was significantly increased in HMEC-1 cells incubated with CM from GPR4 infected cells compared with control cells at pH5.9, which indicated the pro-angiogenic effect of GPR4 in acidic pH. The neutralizing antibodies of IL6, IL8 and VEGFA could inhibit tube formation of HMEC-1 cells. In vivo, the effect of GPR4 on angiogenesis was investigated with the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. Control and GPR4 infected SCCHN cells were seeded onto the upper CAM surface (n = 5 in each group) and 5 μL DMEM/F12 (pH 5.9, 6.5, 7.4) was added to the surface of the cell every 24 h. Four days later, the upper CAM were harvested and the ratio of the vascular area to the CAM area was quantified using Image-Pro Plus 6.0 software. GPR4 infected cells could recruit more vascular than control cells at pH5.9. In conclusion, we suggested that GPR4 induces angiogenesis via GPR4-induced p38-mediated IL6, IL8 and VEGFA secretion at acidic extracellular pH in SCCHN.
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