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Molecular characterization of a receptor-like protein kinase gene from pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)

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Abstract

We are developing molecular approaches to study the growth and development of woody plants. As part of our research efforts, we report the molecular cloning and characterization of PsRLK here, a cDNA from the conifer Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) encoding a polypeptide similar to the receptor protein kinases described in angiosperms. A full-length clone was isolated from a cDNA library constructed with poly (A)+ enriched RNA prepared from germinating pine seeds. Characterization of the isolated sequence revealed that it contains multiple leucine-rich repeats in the N-terminal region and a characteristic Ser/Thr protein kinase domain in the C-terminal region. N- and C-terminal conserved domains are separated by a putative membrane spanning sequence. PsRLK protein is encoded by a single gene in the pine genome. A comparison of the pine sequence with the LRR-RLKs from Arabidopsis revealed that PsRLK is phylogenetically related to the LRR XI subfamily members. RT-PCR analyses of transcript abundance in pine tissues suggest that the gene expression pattern of PsRLK reflects the plant body formation programme, with increased levels during development of pine seedlings. The precise localization of PsRLK transcripts revealed that gene expression was restricted to specialized phloem cells suggesting a possible function of the putative receptor-like protein kinase in this particular vascular element.

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Abbreviations

EST:

Expressed sequence tag

LRR:

Leucine-rich repeat

RLK:

Receptor-like kinase

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Remedios Crespillo for her excellent technical assistance. We are also grateful for the research facilities at the Molecular Biology Laboratory, Research Services, Universidad de Málaga. This work has been supported by Grants (PB98–1396 and BMC2003–04772) from Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (Spain).

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  1. Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Instituto Andaluz de Biotecnología,Unidad Asociada UMA-CSIC, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Universidad de Málaga, 29071, Málaga, Spain

    Concepción Ávila, Josefa Pérez-Rodríguez & Francisco M. Cánovas

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  1. Concepción Ávila
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  2. Josefa Pérez-Rodríguez
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  3. Francisco M. Cánovas
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Correspondence to Francisco M. Cánovas.

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Ávila, C., Pérez-Rodríguez, J. & Cánovas, F.M. Molecular characterization of a receptor-like protein kinase gene from pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Planta 224, 12–19 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-005-0184-x

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