Melanoma-Associated Antigen Family A

**Semantic type:** Amino Acid, Peptide, or Protein

**Definition:** A family of 12 proteins whose members were first detected in male germ cells, placenta and various tumors but originally not found in normal tissues. Their genes are located in the vicinity of Xq28. All of the members of the family share a stretch of about 200 amino acids, called the MAGE conserved domain, which is usually located near the C-terminal end of the protein and may allow these proteins to interact with cellular receptors.

**Synonyms:** - Class 1 Melanoma-Associated Antigen Family A - MAGE A Family - MAGE-A - MAGEA - Melanoma Antigen, Family A