Molecular mechanisms governing small MAF protein function in mammals

转录因子是控制基因在生物体内特定细胞中是否活跃的重要分子。我们对MAFF转录因子在哺乳动物细胞中的功能很感兴趣。在以前的研究中，我们已经发现，被称为细胞因子的信号分子控制着细胞中的MAFF水平。在最近的研究中，我们发现MAFF蛋白本身也是被修饰的。此外，我们还鉴定了一个由MAFF转录因子直接控制的特定基因。该基因在多种细胞过程中起着重要作用，例如细胞的迁移。我们将利用我们的新知识来更好地理解MAFF的功能。我们假设1)蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用和蛋白质修饰对调节MAFF活性是重要的，2)MAFF通过控制其靶基因来调节细胞中的关键过程。我们将使用一系列分子和生化方法结合尖端技术来确定与其他蛋白质的相互作用和修饰如何调节MAFF转录因子的活性。此外，我们还将剖析MAFF是如何控制基因表达的。我们的总体目标是阐明控制转录调控的基本分子机制。我们的研究旨在获得对MAFF转录因子生物学的基本见解，从而有助于更好地理解在生物体内控制细胞功能的基本分子过程。

Transcription factors are important molecules that control whether genes are active or not in a specific cell within an organism. We are interested in the function of the MAFF transcription factor in mammalian cells. In previous studies we have found that signaling molecules called cytokines control MAFF levels in the cell. In recent studies, we showed that the MAFF protein itself is also modified. In addition, we identified a specific gene that is directly controlled by the MAFF transcription factor. This gene plays important roles in a variety of cellular processes as for example the migration of cells. We will use our new knowledge to gain a better understanding of MAFF function. We hypothesize that 1) protein-protein interactions and protein modifications are important to regulate MAFF activity and that 2) In MAFF regulates key processes in the cell by controlling its target genes. We will use a series of molecular and biochemical approaches in combination with cutting edge technology to determine how interactions with other proteins and modifications modulate MAFF transcription factor activity. Furthermore, we will dissect how MAFF controls the expression of genes. Our overall objective is to elucidate the fundamental molecular mechanisms that govern transcriptional regulation. Our research is aimed to gain fundamental insights into MAFF transcription factor biology and thus will help to better understand the basic molecular processes that govern cellular function in living organisms.