TITLE:
Research Progress on MAZ in Malignant Tumors
AUTHORS:
Yunxiao Zhang, Yan Qin, Feng Gao, Huihuang Shen, Siyuan Hou, Mingxue Zhang, Hongmei Wu, Linfeng Mo
KEYWORDS:
MAZ, Transcription Factor, Malignant Tumors, Liquid Biopsy, Biomarker
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.13 No.12,
December
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: Transcription factors play a critical regulatory role in the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. MAZ (MYC-Associated Zinc finger protein), as an important transcriptional regulator, exhibits a multi-layered molecular regulatory network in tumorigenesis and progression. Through the integration and analysis of existing research, we have elucidated the multiple mechanisms through which MAZ participates in the pathogenesis and progression of various malignant tumors: it directly regulates nuclear gene transcription, epigenetic remodeling, and genomic stability, while coordinately mediating cytoplasmic protein synthesis and non-coding RNA networks. These coordinated actions drive the acquisition of malignant phenotypes in tumor cells—including uncontrolled proliferation, metabolic reprogramming, and immunosuppressive microenvironment remodeling—ultimately promoting tumor progression and conferring therapy resistance. Its distinctive capability for bidirectional transcriptional regulation—mediating transcription initiation complex assembly at promoters while also guiding termination at specific gene loci—establishes MAZ as a pivotal regulator of gene expression programs. This mechanistic insight solidifies MAZ’s central role in tumor progression. Based on its specific expression patterns across various malignancies, this research provides a theoretical foundation for developing novel MAZ-based liquid biopsy technologies, which are expected to advance early tumor diagnosis towards non-invasive and precise directions.