Death Induced by CD95 or CD95 Ligand Elimination

•Death is induced by CD95/CD95L elimination (DICE) in cancer cells•DICE is a necrotic form of mitotic catastrophe with features of apoptosis•DICE preferentially kills cancer cells•DICE cannot easily be escaped by the cancer cell

SummaryCD95 (Fas/APO-1), when bound by its cognate ligand CD95L, induces cells to die by apoptosis. We now show that elimination of CD95 or CD95L results in a form of cell death that is independent of caspase-8, RIPK1/MLKL, and p53, is not inhibited by Bcl-xL expression, and preferentially affects cancer cells. All tumors that formed in mouse models of low-grade serous ovarian cancer or chemically induced liver cancer with tissue-specific deletion of CD95 still expressed CD95, suggesting that cancer cannot form in the absence of CD95. Death induced by CD95R/L elimination (DICE) is characterized by an increase in cell size, production of mitochondrial ROS, and DNA damage. It resembles a necrotic form of mitotic catastrophe. No single drug was found to completely block this form of cell death, and it could also not be blocked by the knockdown of a single gene, making it a promising way to kill cancer cells.

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