Since greater knowledge of somatic MAGE mutations in human tumors might cast further light on their potential role in tumorigenesis, as well as provide important information relevant to the use of MAGE proteins in cancer vaccines, we have undertaken a systematic mutational analysis of the coding regions of the five MAGE genes in which mutations were reported (MAGEA1, MAGEA4, MAGEC1, MAGEC2, MAGEE1). Here, MAGEE1 is linked to cancer.