Kataoka Kohsuke
Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, Graduate School of Biological Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan.
J Biochem. 2007 Jun;141(6):775-81. doi: 10.1093/jb/mvm105.
Maf family transcription factors are regulators of tissue-specific gene expression and cell-differentiation in a wide variety of tissues and are also involved in human diseases and oncogenic transformation. To establish tissue-specific expression, Maf binds to Maf-recognition elements (MAREs) in the regulatory regions of target genes, and functionally interacts with other transcription factors. For example, L-Maf and c-Maf, which are specifically expressed in developing lens cells, act synergistically with Sox proteins to induce lens-specific crystalline genes. MafA, a beta-cell-specific member of the Maf family, activates the insulin gene promoter synergistically with Pdx1 and Beta2 to establish beta-cell specific expression. Furthermore, in beta-cells, MafA activity is regulated at both the transcriptional and post-translational levels by glucose and oxidative stress. This review summarizes the functions and roles of Maf in various biological processes and recent progress in elucidating the mechanisms whereby Maf proteins regulate transcription.
Maf家族转录因子是多种组织中组织特异性基因表达和细胞分化的调节因子，也与人类疾病和致癌转化有关。为了建立组织特异性表达，Maf与靶基因调控区域中的Maf识别元件（MAREs）结合，并与其他转录因子发生功能相互作用。例如，在发育中的晶状体细胞中特异性表达的L-Maf和c-Maf与Sox蛋白协同作用，诱导晶状体特异性晶体蛋白基因。MafA是Maf家族的β细胞特异性成员，与Pdx1和Beta2协同激活胰岛素基因启动子，以建立β细胞特异性表达。此外，在β细胞中，MafA的活性在转录和翻译后水平上均受到葡萄糖和氧化应激的调节。本文综述了Maf在各种生物学过程中的功能和作用，以及在阐明Maf蛋白调控转录机制方面的最新进展。
