Expression of MAGE genes in renal cell carcinoma

We investigated the expression of MAGE genes in 10 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines, 50 RCC tumor samples and 5 normal kidney samples using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MAGE-1, -2, -3 and -4 genes were expressed in 4, 1, 10 and 3 of 10 RCC cell lines, respectively, and 11, 8, 38 and 15 of 50 RCC samples. In contrast, there was no expression of MAGE genes detected in any of the normal kidneys. The incidence of the expression of plural MAGE genes in high stage RCC was significantly higher than that in low stage RCC. An analysis based on clinicopathological factors revealed that MAGE-4 gene was more frequently expressed in clear cell subtype than in granular cell subtype RCCs. Our results suggest that owing to the high incidence of MAGE gene expression in RCC, a large proportion of patients could be suitable candidates for novel immune therapies involving tumor-specific antigens encoded by MAGE genes.