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Arabidopsis homologs of the shaggy and GSK-3 protein kinases: molecular cloning and functional expression in Escherichia coli

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Abstract

The conservation in evolution of fundamental signal transduction modules offers a means of isolating genes likely to be involved in plant development. We have amplified by PCR Arabidopsis cDNA and genomic sequences related to the product of the shaggy/zeste-white 3 (sgg) segment polarity gene of Drosophila. This regulatory protein is functionally homologous to glycogen synthase kinase-3 in mammals (GSK-3), which regulates, among others, the DNA-binding activity of the c-jun/AP1 transcription factor. Analysis of PCR products led to the identification of five genes; for two of which, corresponding full-length cDNAs, ASK-α and γ (for Arabidopsis shaggy-related protein kinase), were characterized. The encoded proteins were 70% identical to GSK-3 and sgg over the protein kinase catalytic domain and, after production in Escherichia coli, autophosphorylated mainly on threonine and serine residues, but phosphotyrosine was also detected. ASK-α and ASK-γ also phosphorylated phosphatase inhibitor-2 and myelin basic protein, on threonine and serine, respectively. The high conservation of the protein kinases of GSK-3 family, and their action at the transcriptional level, suggest that the ASK proteins have important functions in higher plants.

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Author notes

  1. James R. Woodgett

    Present address: Ontario Cancer institute, 500 Sherbourne Street, M4X 1K9, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biologie du Développement des Plantes, Centre de Recherches sur les Plantes URA 1128, Université de Paris-Sud, Bât. 430, F-91405, Orsay Cedex, France

    Michele W. Bianchi, Dominique Guivarc'h, Martine Thomas & Martin Kreis

  2. Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, 91 Riding House Street, W1P 8BT, London, UK

    James R. Woodgett

Authors
  1. Michele W. Bianchi
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  2. Dominique Guivarc'h
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  3. Martine Thomas
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  4. James R. Woodgett
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  5. Martin Kreis
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Communicated by E. Meyerowitz

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Bianchi, M.W., Guivarc'h, D., Thomas, M. et al. Arabidopsis homologs of the shaggy and GSK-3 protein kinases: molecular cloning and functional expression in Escherichia coli . Molec. Gen. Genet. 242, 337–345 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00280424

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00280424

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