title: Developmental regulation of the gene for chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in anthers.
abstract: Chimeric Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) was cloned from developing anthers of lily (Lilium longiflorum Thumb. cv. Nellie White) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Xanthi). Previous biochemical characterization and structure/function studies had revealed that CCaMK has dual modes of regulation by Ca(2+) and Ca(2+)/calmodulin. The unique structural features of CCaMK include a catalytic domain, a calmodulin-binding domain, and a neural visinin-like Ca(2+)-binding domain. The existence of these three features in a single polypeptide distinguishes it from other kinases. Western analysis revealed that CCaMK is expressed in a stage-specific manner in developing anthers. Expression of CCaMK was first detected in pollen mother cells and continued to increase, reaching a peak around the tetrad stage of meiosis. Following microsporogenesis, CCaMK expression rapidly decreased and at later stages of microspore development, no expression was detected. A tobacco genomic clone of CCaMK was isolated and transgenic tobacco plants were produced carrying the CCaMK promoter fused to the beta-glucuronidase reporter gene. Both CCaMK mRNA and protein were detected in the pollen sac and their localizations were restricted to the pollen mother cells and tapetal cells. Consistent results showing a stage-specific expression pattern were obtained by beta-glucuronidase analysis, in-situ hybridization and immunolocalization. The stage- and tissue-specific appearance of CCaMK in anthers suggests that it could play a role in sensing transient changes in free Ca(2+) concentration in target cells, thereby controlling developmental events in the anther.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology and Physiology, Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. pooviaiah@wsu.edu
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Poovaiah
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Sathyanarayanan
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Franceschi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases