Hippo inactivation feeds tumor-initiating cells

The Hippo pathway has emerged as a well-conserved kinase cascade controlling cell proliferation and survival and has recently gained much attention for its key activity as a tumor suppressor. In a study published in Cell, Cordenonsi and colleagues link TAZ, a downstream effector of the Hippo pathway, to attributes of putative breast cancer stem cells, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and cell polarity.