An Epigenetic Mark that Protects the Epithelial Phenotype in Health and Disease

Epithelial plasticity is crucial during embryonic development and progression of carcinomas. In this issue, Abell et al. (2011) show that acetylation on histones H2A/H2B prevents epithelial cells from undergoing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Their findings also suggest that under conditions where EMT and stemness coexist, they can be independently regulated.