Fig. 6

Fatty acid desaturases are upregulated in CSCs and required for CSC survival. A GBM CSCs and non-CSCs have notable differences in phosphatidylinositol species. In particular, CSCs have reduced arachidonic acid (AA) levels but increased levels of its precursor DGLA. B and C qRT-PCR shows that FADS1 and FADS2 levels are higher in CSCs compared to non-CSCs from PDX models. D and E RNA-seq shows higher expression of FADS1 and FADS2 in cells of the GBM organoid proliferative rim and patient cellular tumor regions. CellTiter-Glo cell viability assay shows decreased viability of GBM cells upon FADS1 (F) or FADS2 (G) knockdown. H Proposed mechanism of high accumulation vs high flux of lipids in GBM non-CSCs and CSCs, respectively. * p < 0.01; ** p < 0.001; *** p < 0.0001