MART-1/Melan A [A103]

MART-1, also known as Melan-A, is a melanocyte lineage-specific protein (MART-1; melanoma antigen recognized by T cells 1) recognized by the T lymphocytes of patients with established malignancy. MART-1 labels both normal melanocyte and diseased cell with melanocyte differentiation. It is useful for diagnosis of tumors with melanocyte differentiation, especially metastatic melanoma. Identification of MART-1 also opens possibilities for the development of immunotherapies for patients with melanoma.