Oncogenic PI3Kα promotes multipotency in breast epithelial cells

The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway is among the most frequently altered in cancer. Now, two studies show that a mutated oncogenic PI3Kα, commonly found in breast cancer, leads to dedifferentiation or destabilization of luminal and basal epithelial lineages, which in turn leads to increased cancer cell heterogeneity.