Interaction between HIF-1 alpha (ODD) and hARD1 does not induce acetylation and destabilization of HIF-1 alpha

Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) is a central component of the cellular responses to hypoxia. Hypoxic conditions result in stabilization of HIF-1 alpha and formation of the transcriptionally active HIF-1 complex. It was suggested that mammalian ARD1 acetylates HIF-1 alpha and thereby enhances HIF-1 alpha ubiquitination and degradation. Furthermore, ARD1 was proposed to be down-regulated in hypoxia thus facilitating the stabilization of HIF-1 alpha. Here we demonstrate that the level of human ARD1 (hARD1) protein is not decreased in hypoxia. Moreover, hARD1 does not acetylate and destabilize HIF-1 alpha. However, we find that hARD1 specifically binds HIF-1 alpha, suggesting a putative, still unclear, connection between these proteins.