Molecular mechanisms of MAZ targeting up-regulation of NDUFS3 expression to promote malignant progression in melanoma

Abstract Myc-associated Zinc-finger Protein (MAZ) has been implicated in the malignant progression of various tumors. However, its expression and functional relationship of MAZ in melanoma have not been previously investigated. This study confirms elevated expression of MAZ in melanoma, correlating with poor patient prognosis. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that MAZ enhances melanoma progression by promoting proliferation, migration and invasion. It is worth noting that we found that MAZ can target and regulate NDUFS3 transcription to promote melanoma malignant progression. Predictive modeling indicates that the co-expression of MAZ and NDUFS3 could serve as a novel prognostic marker for melanoma patients.