Identification of a Novel Antagonistic Relation between Prolactin Signaling and YAP-CCN2 Oncogenic Pathway Promoting Differentiation and Patient Survival Outcomes in Breast Cancer (MCF7 cells) [RNA-seq] (human)

Cellular differentiation limits cellular plasticity allowing cells to attain their specialized functional characteristics and phenotypes, whereas loss of differentiation is a hallmark of cancer. Thus, characterizing mechanisms underlying differentiation is key to discover new cancer therapeutics. We report a novel functional antagonistic relationship between the prolactin (PRL)/prolactin receptor (PRLR) differentiation and YAP-CCN2 oncogenic pathways in normal and breast cancer cells, that is essential for establishing/maintaining acinar morphogenesis, apical-basal polarity, cell-cell junctions and restricting luminal-to-basal lineage plasticity.