Figure 2.

Involvement of MAFs in melanoma growth and progression. Schematic representation of the principal MAF-derived molecules, including growth factors, cytokines, chemokines and proteases leading to extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling, pharmacological resistance, and increased melanoma cell survival, proliferation, and migration. MAF-derived ECM is a functional and structural support network, enabling melanoma cells to proliferate, survive also during pharmacological treatment, migrate, and escape from the primary tumor site to colonize distant sites. ECM proteins produced by MAFs induce pro-survival, pro-proliferative, and pro-migratory signalling pathways in melanoma cells.