Musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog (c-Maf)

Musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog (c-Maf) is a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor encoded by the MAF gene on chromosome 16. It is a member of the AP-1 superfamily and the Maf family, with major roles in regulating cell differentiation and developmental processes across a variety of tissues, including lens cells, neural tissue, kidney, bone, erythrocyte formation, and pancreatic islets. c-Maf is also a critical immune regulator in lymphocytes, programming macrophages and controlling tolerance. As an oncogene and transcriptional programmer, c-Maf is implicated in cancer biology (including musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma and tumor-associated macrophages). It interacts with other transcriptional co-regulators such as CREBBP, EP300, MYB, and SOX9 to regulate its target genes. Disruption of c-Maf function results in severe developmental and immunological defects, making it a potential target for therapeutic intervention in cancer and immune-related diseases, but also presenting significant safety concerns due to its broad biological functions.

Other names

Mafproto-oncogene c-MafV-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog

Transcriptional modulation: drugs or agents that would inhibit or modulate c-Maf function act by altering its DNA binding and transcriptional regulation activity