For a Healthy Histone Code, a Little SUMO in the Tail Keeps the Acetyl Away

Chemical modification of histones through a growing number of post-translational mechanisms is an integral part of transcription. A recent report provides exciting new evidence that conjugation of the ubiquitin-like protein SUMO to histones opposes acetylation and establishes SUMOylation as an important histone mark linked to transcriptional repression.