Regulated cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) levels and activities are critical for the proper progression of the cell division cycle. p12DOC-1 is a growth suppressor isolated from normal keratinocytes. We report that p12DOC-1 associates with CDK2. More specifically, p12DOC-1 associates with the monomeric nonphosphorylated form of CDK2 (p33CDK2). Ectopic expression of p12DOC-1 resulted in decreased cellular CDK2 and reduced CDK2-associated kinase activities and was accompanied by a shift in the cell cycle positions of p12DOC-1 transfectants (1G1 and2S). The p12DOC-1-mediated decrease of CDK2 was prevented if the p12DOC-1 transfectants were grown in the presence of the proteosome inhibitor clasto-lactacystin b-lactone, suggesting that p12DOC-1 may target CDK2 for proteolysis. A CDK2 binding mutant was created and was found to revert p12DOC-1-mediated, CDK2-associated cell cycle phenotypes. These data support p12DOC-1 as a specific CDK2-associated protein that negatively regulates CDK2 activities by sequestering the monomeric pool of CDK2 and/or targets CDK2 for proteolysis, reducing the active pool of CDK2.