Antibodies raised against the HERV-K-MEL antigen were detectable in melanoma patients.31 Melanoma cell lines (SKMel-28, SKMel-1, 518A2, MelJuso, HS-Mel2 and JH-Mel6 and HV-Mel7), but not cultured melanocytes (NHEM neo 5935, NHEM neo 4528 and NHEM neo 6083), produce retrovirus-like particles that exhibit reverse transcriptase activity,52 which contain mature Gag and Env proteins. This evidence concerns the gene ERVW-1 and melanoma.