The rapid advance of the immunogenetic study of melanoma provides a continually evolving view of antigens of melanoma cells as topological expressions of somatic and germline events related to melanocytic malignancy. In particular, characterization of the repertoire of melanoma-associated antigens restricted to subsets of cells representing particular stages of development, differentiation, or malignancy has increased rapidly owing to the availability of monoclonal antibodies. Certain of these MAA are influenced, in their display on melanoma cells, by expression of cellular oncogenes, which may play a role in the etiology or the progression of cancer, whereas other subsets of MAA are responsive to modulation by alpha-, beta-, or gamma-IFNs. As information about the nature, the cell specificity of distribution, and the genetic linkages of MAAs continues to accrue, it is likely that certain MAA will be recognized as markers for somatic or germline chromosomal events or for classic mutations involved in the etiology and the progression of melanoma. Most importantly, increased biologic understanding of MAA is likely to be accompanied by further advances in currently promising efforts to exploit MAA and the corresponding MAbs for immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic ends. Demonstrated cloning of genes encoding two MAA and preliminary suggestion of successful isolation of the gene for a third MAA presage use of the formidable resources of recombinant DNA technology to further the immunogenetic study and the clinical utilization of these markers for melanoma.