More is not always better: the genetic constraints of polyploidy

Polyploid cells are a characteristic feature of certain human tissues, and notably many cancers. In a systematic genomic screen in yeast, Storchova and co-workers identified the genetic requirements of tetraploidy. Surprisingly, they showed that only three connected pathways are essential for the viability of tetraploid yeast cells. These data provide exciting new targets that might be essential specifically in polyploid cancer cells.