A MAFG~MITF complex drives melanoma phenotype switching and progression

Olga Vera, Michael Martinez, Zulaida Soto-Vargas, Kaizhen Wang, Xiaonan Xu, Nicol Mecozzi, Harini Murikipudi, Sara Ruiz-Buceta, Manon Chadourne, Benjamin Posorske, Ariana Angarita, Ilah Bok, Juan D Ulloa Arrieta, Qian Liu, Yumi Kim, Jane L Messina, Kenneth Y Tsai, Michael B Major, Eric K Lau, Xiaoqi · 2026

Read A MAFG~MITF complex drives melanoma phenotype switching and progression by Olga Vera, Michael Martinez, Zulaida Soto-Vargas, Kaizhen Wang, Xiaonan Xu, Nicol Mecozzi, Harini Murikipudi, Sara Ruiz-Buceta, Manon Chadourne, Benjamin Posorske, Ariana Angarita, Ilah Bok, Juan D Ulloa Arrieta, Qian Liu, Yumi Kim, Jane L Messina, Kenneth Y Tsai, Michael B Major, Eric K Lau, Xiaoqi (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13385793.txt.

Description

Olga Vera's team identified a protein pair that drives melanoma state switching, in a 2026 study. State switching fuels melanoma growth and therapy resistance under the lineage factor MITF. The team found the small MAF factor MAFG as a key regulator of MITF activity, often high in melanoma and tied to poor survival.

MAFG binds MITF and redirects where MITF sits on the genome, reshaping MITF-driven gene programs. Lab and animal tests showed MAFG promotes a dedifferentiated state, speeds growth, supports cell division, and enables the shift from moles to melanoma in mouse models. The MAFG-MITF pair thus offers a fresh target for blocking melanoma plasticity.

Catalog record

CREATOROlga Vera, Michael Martinez, Zulaida Soto-Vargas, Kaizhen Wang, Xiaonan Xu, Nicol Mecozzi, Harini Murikipudi, Sara Ruiz-Buceta, Manon Chadourne, Benjamin Posorske, Ariana Angarita, Ilah Bok, Juan D Ulloa Arrieta, Qian Liu, Yumi Kim, Jane L Messina, Kenneth Y Tsai, Michael B Major, Eric K Lau, Xiaoqi
YEAR2026
COLLECTIONPAPERS
FORMATTXT
FILE SIZE85 KB
VERSION1.0
LICENSECC BY 4.0
RIGHTSCC BY
SOURCEEurope PMC

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13385793

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