During host cell infection by tachyzoites, does not play a role in tethering the parasitophorous vacuole to the host mitochondria, probably because it does not bind host mitochondrial import protein TOMM70. Interacts with host SAMM50. Expressed in tachyzoites (at protein level). The MAF1 locus encodes multiple tandemly duplicated paralogs that vary in expression, sequence and copy number across T.gondii strains (PubMed:26920761). For instance, type I strain GT1 has 6 copies, type I strain RH has 4 copies, type II strains ME49 and PRU have 4 copies, type III strain VEG has 4 copies and type III strain CTG has only 2 copies (PubMed:26920761). The paralogs are classified into two groups, a and b and have probably arisen from the neofunctionalization of an ancestral MAF1 a gene (PubMed:26920761). They are characterized by the presence or absence of a repetitive stretch of 4 to 7 prolines followed by a serine (P(4:7)S), as well as differences in the amino acids surrounding the proline motif (PubMed:26920761). This motif is either completely missing (a and b0 paralogs) or repeated up to six times (b paralogs) (PubMed:26920761). Across the strains, transcript levels for the a paralogs are similar, however, in type II strain ME49, transcript levels for the b paralogs are low and no paralog MAF1 b1 protein is produced (PubMed:26920761). Paralogs differ in their ability to mediate host mitochondrial association (HMA), but also in their ability to confer a selective advantage during infection in a mouse model (PubMed:26920761). Tachyzoites from type I and III strains associate with host mitochondria (HMA(+)), while tachyzoites from type II strains, such as ME49, do not associate with host mitochondria (HMA(-)) due to a lack of MAF1 b1 expression (PubMed:26920761).