ARD Background Information
ARD (acireductone dioxygenase), also known as ADI1, APL1, SIPL, SIP-L or MTCBP1, is a 179 amino acid protein that localizes to the nucleus, as well as to the cytoplasmic side of the cell membrane, and belongs to the aci-reductone dioxygenase family of metal-binding enzymes. Expressed in brain, heart, lung, colon, liver, kidney, spleen and skeletal muscle, ARD uses nickel as a cofactor to catalyze a crucial step in the L-methionine biosynthetic pathway, namely the creation of L-methionine from (S)-methyl-5-thio-alpha-D-ribose 1-phosphate. Additionally, ARD interacts with MT-MMP-1 and may be able to down-regulate MT-MMP-1-mediated cell migration. Multiple isoforms of ARD exist due to alternative splicing events.
