Phosphorylation of ARD1 by IKKbeta contributes to its destabilization and degradation

IkappaB kinase beta (IKKbeta), a major kinase downstream of various proinflammatory signals, mediates multiple cellular functions through phosphorylation and regulation of its substrates. On the basis of protein sequence analysis, we identified arrest-defective protein 1 (ARD1), a protein involved in apoptosis and cell proliferation processes in many human cancer cells, as a new IKKbeta substrate. We provided evidence showing that ARD1 is indeed a bona fide substrate of IKKbeta. IKKbeta physically associated with ARD1 and phosphorylated it at Ser209. Phosphorylation by IKKbeta destabilized ARD1 and induced its proteasome-mediated degradation. Impaired growth suppression was observed in ARD1 phosphorylation-mimic mutant (S209E)-transfected cells as compared with ARD1 non-phosphorylatable mutant (S209A)-transfected cells. Our findings of molecular interactions between ARD1 and IKKbeta may enable further understanding of the upstream regulation mechanisms of ARD1 and of the diverse functions of IKKbeta.