Transcriptional programs drive cell identity, dictating the specialized phenotypes of differentiated cells during the development of multicellular organisms. Interplay between signal-transduction pathways, transcription factors and the chromatin packaging of the genome sets the gene expression pattern of a cell, which must be relatively stably maintained once an organism is fully developed. The Reviews in this Insight explore how transcriptional states are regulated during development and disease.

The discovery that differentiated cells can be artificially reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells by a small set of transcription factors has opened up exciting medical prospects and provided an opportunity to investigate how stable epigenetic states are built and reversed. Effie Apostolou and Konrad Hochedlinger discuss transcriptional and chromatin-based mechanisms behind cellular reprogramming and draw comparisons with tumorigenesis.

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