Although speculative, the upregulation of HDAC6 in AEC, as well as bronchiolar basal cells in IPF lungs versus normal lungs, could suggest an involvement of this HDAC enzyme in the reprogramming of hAECII towards metaplastic basal cells, which have been widely observed to colonise alveolar spaces in close proximity to AECII in IPF [52,118,302]. This evidence concerns the gene HDAC9 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.