When the machinery that guides the transition of stem cells to somatic cells doesn’t shut down properly, cells can become cancerous. Identifying the mechanisms that impede those processes would offer scientists a target for cancer research. Purdue scientists, led by Professor Humaira Gowher (pictured), have discovered the epigenetic process that keeps stem cell enhancers in active, primed or repressed states. In particular, her team has identified a protein-protein interaction that blocks proper formation of these states.