 Studies suggest that the stromalin antigen, SA, protein is essential for cohesin's proper functioning and loading onto chromosomes. It has been shown that SA proteins remain bound to chromatin when IED21, a core component of cohesin, is absent from cells. This suggests that SA proteins may be responsible for cohesin loading onto chromatin independently of IED21. Furthermore, SA proteins interact with INA and R-loops, suggesting that they may be involved in regulating gene expression through INA-mediated mechanisms. Given that SA proteins are highly expressed in many cancers, it is likely that they play a critical role in cancer development and progression. This article was authored by Hailey Porter, Young Lee, Maria Victoria Nagemba, and others.