MAFA (D2Z6N) Rabbit mAb #79737

MAFA belongs to the musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma (MAF) family of basic leucine-zipper transcription factors (1). In the mouse embryo, MAFA expression is first detected at E13.5, restricted to Nkx6.1-positive insulin-producing islet cells (2). Expression of the MAFA gene is sensitive to physiological glucose levels, and genomic targets regulated by MAFA include β-cell transcription factors (e.g., PDX1) and the insulin gene (2, 3). Ectopic expression of MAFA was shown to induce insulin production by pancreatic α-cells (2), while conditional overexpression of MAFA in vivo promoted transdifferentiation of α-cells into insulin-producing β-cells (4). Targeted deletion of the MAFA gene in mice likewise led to a loss of β-cell identity and function (5). Collectively, these data suggest that MAFA is critical for the development, maintenance, and physiological function of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells, highlighting its potential utility as a target for translational and clinical research studies in diabetes (6).