Transposable elements and ganglioside GD2 play key roles in cancer progression.

A pan-cancer analysis has identified tumor-specific antigens derived from transposable elements (TEs), which are DNA sequences that can move around the genome. The study found that TEs are frequently expressed in cancer cells and can produce novel proteins that are recognized by the immune system as foreign, making them potential targets for immunotherapy. The researchers also found that DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification that can silence genes, plays a role in regulating TE expression in cancer cells.