CD95 gene deletion may reduce clonogenic growth and invasiveness of human glioblastoma cells in a CD95 ligand-independent manner

CD95 (Fas/APO-1) is a multifunctional cell surface receptor with antithetic roles. First described to mediate cell death, interactions of CD95 with its natural ligand, CD95L, have also been described to induce tumor-promoting signaling leading to proliferation, invasion and stem cell maintenance, mainly in cancer cells that are resistant to CD95-mediated apoptosis. While activation of CD95-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells may not be clinically practicable due to toxicity, inhibition of tumor-promoting CD95 signaling holds therapeutic potential. In the present study, we characterized CD95 and CD95L expression in human glioma-initiating cells (GIC), a glioblastoma cell population with stem cell features, and investigated the consequences of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated CD95 or CD95L gene deletion. In vitro, GIC expressed CD95 but not CD95L and were sensitive to CD95-mediated apoptosis. Upon genetic deletion of CD95, GIC acquired resistance to CD95L-induced apoptosis but exhibited inferior clonogenic growth, sphere-forming capacity, and invasiveness compared with control cells, suggesting the existence of CD95L-independent constitutive CD95 signaling with tumor-promoting properties in GIC. In vivo, GIC expressed CD95 and a non-canonical form of CD95L lacking the CD95-binding region. CD95 genetic deletion did not prolong survival in immunocompromised GIC-bearing mice. Altogether, these data indicate that canonical CD95L may not be expressed in human GIC and suggest the existence of a CD95L-independent CD95-signaling pathway that maintains some malignancy traits of GIC. The lack of altered survival of tumor-bearing mice after genetic deletion of CD95 suggests that CD95 signaling is not essential to maintain the growth of human GIC xenografted into the brains of nude mice. The ligand-independent tumor-promoting role of constitutive CD95 in our GIC models in vitro highlights the complexity and challenges associated with targeting CD95 with therapeutic intent.