SCD1 and SCD5 Modulate PARP-Dependent DNA Repair via Fatty Acid Desaturation in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) relies on fatty acid metabolism to sustain its aggressive growth. While the role of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) in GBM is established, the function of its brain-enriched isoform, SCD5, remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that SCD5 is essential for glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) maintenance and genomic stability, with elevated expression in GSCs that declines upon differentiation, underscoring its role in tumor initiation. Through shotgun lipidomics, ¹³ C metabolic flux analysis, and functional genomics, we reveal that SCD1 and SCD5 play non-redundant roles in fatty acid desaturation, with SCD5 preferentially desaturating C18:0 and uniquely contributing to sphingolipid remodeling. Genetic silencing of either isoform disrupts cell cycle progression, impairs DNA damage repair, and reduces GSC viability, while SCD5 knockdown significantly extends survival in orthotopic GBM models. Mechanistically, loss of SCD activity or saturated fatty acid accumulation triggers PARP1 hyperactivation and subsequent degradation, depleting RAD51 to compromise homologous recombination and induce parthanatos. These findings uncover a lipid-mediated vulnerability in GBM, linking fatty acid desaturation to PARP1-dependent genome integrity. Targeting SCD5 may offer a novel therapeutic strategy to eliminate therapy-resistant GSCs and enhance the efficacy of genotoxic or immunotherapeutic interventions.