Maf蛋白（Mafs）属于基本亮氨酸拉链转录因子，是活化蛋白-1（AP-1）超家族成员。Mafs有两个亚组：大Maf和小Maf，参与细胞周期、增殖、氧化应激和炎症等广泛的生物过程。因此，Mafs的失调会影响细胞命运并与多种疾病密切相关。越来越多的证据表明，大和小Mafs都是肿瘤发展的介质。在本综述中，我们首先简要描述Mafs的结构和生理功能。然后我们总结了控制Mafs表达和活动的上游调节机制。此外，我们还讨论了Mafs在癌症进展中的关键作用的最近研究，包括癌症增殖、凋亡、转移、肿瘤/基质相互作用和血管生成。我们还回顾了Mafs在临床上的意义，即它们作为癌症生物标志物和治疗靶点的潜在可能性和局限性。© 2023.作者。

The Maf proteins (Mafs) belong to basic leucine zipper transcription factors and are members of the activator protein-1 (AP-1) superfamily. There are two subgroups of Mafs: large Mafs and small Mafs, which are involved in a wide range of biological processes, such as the cell cycle, proliferation, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Therefore, dysregulation of Mafs can affect cell fate and is closely associated with diverse diseases. Accumulating evidence has established both large and small Mafs as mediators of tumor development. In this review, we first briefly describe the structure and physiological functions of Mafs. Then we summarize the upstream regulatory mechanisms that control the expression and activity of Mafs. Furthermore, we discuss recent studies on the critical role of Mafs in cancer progression, including cancer proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, tumor/stroma interaction and angiogenesis. We also review the clinical implications of Mafs, namely their potential possibilities and limitations as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in cancer.© 2023. The Author(s).