A MEMBER OF THE MELANOMA ANTIGEN-ENCODING GENE (MAGE) FAMILY IS EXPRESSED IN HUMAN SKIN DURING WOUND-HEALING

MAGE-I has been identified as a human gene, which directs the expressi on of an antigen being recognized on melanoma cells by autologous cyto lytic T cells. MAGE-I is expressed in melanomas and some other tumors. It has been proposed that this gene may be linked to the transformati on event and therefore might serve as an approach to precisely targete d immunotherapy. Prior to such an approach, extensive testing of norma l human tissue is necessary to establish the tumor-specific nature of MAGE-I expression. Similar to events that occur during neoplastic tumo r growth and spreading, wound healing involves a complex interrelation ship between various cell types which migrate, proliferate and differe ntiate. Therefore, we investigated the expression of MAGE-I mRNA by RT -PCR followed by specific hybridization as well as by Northern blottin g in human skin from the 1st to the 7th day after wounding. Comparison of the expression of MAGE mRNA with that of beta-actin mRNA showed th at it is expressed in amounts equal to about and at least one-fifth th at of beta-actin. Our data strongly suggest that MAGE mRNA expression is not necessarily linked to neoplastic transformation, but rather rep resents the function of a cellular gene which is activated during infl ammation or early tissue repair. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.