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Protein / target

Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit alpha

Encoded byCHUKO15111Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
2
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Protein serine/threonine kinase

Strongest disease association

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Via encoding gene CHUK · Genetic evidence · score 0.42

Research activity

Emerging research

2 papers · latest 2019

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Serine kinase that plays an essential role in the NF-kappa-B signaling pathway which is activated by multiple stimuli such as inflammatory cytokines, bacterial or viral products, DNA damages or other cellular stresses.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Serine kinase that plays an essential role in the NF-kappa-B signaling pathway which is activated by multiple stimuli such as inflammatory cytokines, bacterial or viral products, DNA damages or other cellular stresses (PubMed:18626576, PubMed:9244310, PubMed:9252186, PubMed:9346484). Acts as a part of the canonical IKK complex in the conventional pathway of NF-kappa-B activation and phosphorylates inhibitors of NF-kappa-B on serine residues (PubMed:18626576, PubMed:35952808, PubMed:9244310, PubMed:9252186, PubMed:9346484). These modifications allow polyubiquitination of the inhibitors and subsequent degradation by the proteasome (PubMed:18626576, PubMed:9244310, PubMed:9252186, PubMed:9346484). In turn, free NF-kappa-B is translocated into the nucleus and activates the transcription of hundreds of genes involved in immune response, growth control, or protection against apoptosis (PubMed:18626576, PubMed:9244310, PubMed:9252186, PubMed:9346484). Negatively regulates the pathway by phosphorylating the scaffold protein TAXBP1 and thus promoting the assembly of the A20/TNFAIP3 ubiquitin-editing complex (composed of A20/TNFAIP3, TAX1BP1, and the E3 ligases ITCH and RNF11) (PubMed:21765415). Therefore, CHUK plays a key role in the negative feedback of NF-kappa-B canonical signaling to limit inflammatory gene activation. As part of the non-canonical pathway of NF-kappa-B activation, the MAP3K14-activated CHUK/IKKA homodimer phosphorylates NFKB2/p100 associated with RelB, inducing its proteolytic processing to NFKB2/p52 and the formation of NF-kappa-B RelB-p52 complexes (PubMed:20501937). In turn, these complexes regulate genes encoding molecules involved in B-cell survival and lymphoid organogenesis. Also participates in the negative feedback of the non-canonical NF-kappa-B signaling pathway by phosphorylating and destabilizing MAP3K14/NIK. Within the nucleus, phosphorylates CREBBP and consequently increases both its transcriptional and histone acetyltransferase activities (PubMed:17434128). Modulates chromatin accessibility at NF-kappa-B-responsive promoters by phosphorylating histones H3 at 'Ser-10' that are subsequently acetylated at 'Lys-14' by CREBBP (PubMed:12789342). Additionally, phosphorylates the CREBBP-interacting protein NCOA3. Also phosphorylates FOXO3 and may regulate this pro-apoptotic transcription factor (PubMed:15084260). Phosphorylates RIPK1 at 'Ser-25' which represses its kinase activity and consequently prevents TNF-mediated RIPK1-dependent cell death (By similarity). Phosphorylates AMBRA1 following mitophagy induction, promoting AMBRA1 interaction with ATG8 family proteins and its mitophagic activity (PubMed:30217973)

Subcellular location

CytoplasmNucleus
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (39)

Domains & features

Protein kinase

Gene Ontology

  • CCD40 receptor complex
  • Ccytoplasm
  • Ccytoplasmic side of plasma membrane
  • Ccytosol
  • CIkappaB kinase complex
  • Cnucleoplasm
  • FATP binding
  • Fidentical protein binding
  • FIkappaB kinase activity
  • Fprotein heterodimerization activity
  • Fprotein homodimerization activity
  • Fprotein kinase activity

745 aa · 85 kDa

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Cell proliferation & survivalUniProtKinase signallingUniProt · GOImmune signallingUniProt · GOTranscriptional regulationUniProt · GO
View supporting evidence

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·Serine kinase that plays an essential role in the NF-kappa-B signaling pathway which is…

Kinase signalling

  • ·Serine kinase that plays an essential role in the NF-kappa-B signaling pathway which is…
  • ·IkappaB kinase activity
  • ·protein kinase activity
  • ·protein serine/threonine kinase activity

Immune signalling

  • ·Serine kinase that plays an essential role in the NF-kappa-B signaling pathway which is…
  • ·immune response
  • ·inflammatory response
  • ·innate immune response

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·Serine kinase that plays an essential role in the NF-kappa-B signaling pathway which is…
  • ·positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene CHUK

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene CHUKthat encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
0.45Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.27

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
0.35Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.21

Anorexia Nervosa
0.35Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.21

Genetic Diseases, Inborn
0.32Limited support

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.19

COVID-19
0.31Preliminary

Pathway evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.46 · no direct causal or clinical evidence

View evidence synthesis (5)
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Limited support
0.45
agreement 0.310.59
Genetic89%Literature11%

Open Targets aggregate 0.27 · 2 independent evidence families

Attention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityLimited support
0.35
agreement 0.230.47
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.21 · 1 independent evidence family

Anorexia NervosaLimited support
0.35
agreement 0.230.47
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.21 · 1 independent evidence family

Genetic Diseases, InbornLimited support
0.32
agreement 0.200.44
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.19 · 1 independent evidence family

COVID-19Preliminary
0.31
agreement 0.140.49
Pathway97%Literature3%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 2 independent evidence families · no direct causal or clinical evidence

This ranking differs from Open Targets' own: re-weighting moves genetically-evidenced diseases above more heavily co-mentioned ones. The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
COVID-190.46
Neurodegenerative Diseases0.37
Autoimmune disorder of central nervous system0.37
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 20.27
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity0.21
Anorexia Nervosa0.21
Genetic Diseases, Inborn0.19
Psoriasis0.16

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand and high-quality ligand) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (uniprot ubiquitination and database ubiquitination) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (7)
SM · Structure with LigandSM · High-Quality LigandSM · Druggable FamilyPR · UniProt UbiquitinationPR · Database UbiquitinationPR · Half-life DataPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Safety-related annotations

regulation of catalytic activityToxCast

Terms indexed against this target in Open Targets' safety data, with their datasource. These are annotations, not causal claims: the direction of effect (whether activation or inhibition is implicated), species and evidence strength are not captured here, so an entry does not mean that modulating this target is known to cause that condition.

Research activity

2 papers · to 2019

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Datta SR · Genes & development · 1999

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.