Roles of Myc‐associated zinc finger protein in malignant tumors

Abstract

As an important transcription factor that is widely expressed in most tissues of the human body, Myc-associated zinc finger protein (MAZ) has been reported highly expressed in many malignant tumors and thought to be a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment. In this review, we aim to offer a comprehensive understanding of MAZ regulation in malignant tumors. The carboxy terminal of MAZ protein contains six C2H2 zinc fingers, and its regulation of transcription is based on the interaction between the GC-rich DNA binding sites of target genes and its carboxy-terminal zinc finger motifs. MAZ protein has been found to activate or inhibit the transcriptional initiation process of many target genes, as well as play an important role in the transcriptional termination process of some target genes, so MAZ poses dual regulatory functions in the initiation and termination process of gene transcription. Through the transcriptional regulation of c-myc and Ras gene family, MAZ poses an important role in the occurrence and development of breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, glioblastoma, neuroblastoma, and other malignant tumors. Our review shows a vital role of MAZ in many malignant tumors and provides novel insight for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Spatial transcriptomics reveals distinct and conserved tumor core and edge architectures that predict survival and targeted therapy response

“…21,22 ), and EMT regulatory genes MAZ, ESSRA, and TWIST2 (ref. [23][24][25] ) were observed in the LE (Extended data Fig. 2b and Supplementary Table 3).…”

TBK1 promotes thyroid cancer progress by activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

“…MAZ, a critical driver of inflammation in animal models, 30 is abnormally expressed in cancers 31 . Research by Triner et al suggested that MAZ was overexpressed in human colon cancer 32 .…”

Spatial transcriptomics reveals distinct and conserved tumor core and edge architectures that predict survival and targeted therapy response

“…23,24 ), and EMT regulatory genes MAZ , ESSRA , and TWIST2 (ref. 25–27 ) were observed in the leading edge (Extended data Fig. 2b and Supplementary Table 3).…”