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Chimeric transcripts of transposable elements and genes are a source of tumor-specific antigens

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Transposable elements (TEs) are transcriptionally activated in cancer and can generate chimeric TE–gene transcripts that are tumor specific. Our pan-cancer study reveals that these transcripts are a source of tumor-specific antigens that are shared across tumor types, bind to HLA and are presented on the extracellular surface of cancer cells appended to membrane-bound proteins.

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Fig. 1: TE-chimeric transcripts are a source of tumor-specific proteins.

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This is a summary of: Shah, N. M. et al. Pan-cancer analysis identifies tumor-specific antigens derived from transposable elements. Nat. Genet. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-023-01349-3 (2023).

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Chimeric transcripts of transposable elements and genes are a source of tumor-specific antigens. Nat Genet 55, 538–539 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-023-01361-7

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