title: Cloning and characterization of a novel soybean receptor-like protein kinase gene GmRLCK.
abstract: Protein kinases play key roles in transduction of both environmental and developmental signals in higher plants. Here reported full-length cDNA cloning and preliminary structural and functional analysis of a novel soybean receptor-like protein kinase (RLK) gene (GenBank Accession No.AY687390). The deduced protein product of this gene contains a transmembrane region, an intracellular catalytic domain possessing serine/threonine kinase activity, and an extracellular domain which lacks the N-terminus signal peptide. Bioinformatic analyses revealed highly similarity between this soybean gene and a group of the Arabidopsis RLK genes which all lack of N-terminus signal sequence and belong to RLCK subfamily. Thus, it was designated GmRLCK. Some residues of GmRLCK that showed high probability to be phosphorylated were also predicted. RT-PCR analysis revealed higher expression levels of GmRLCK in soybean cotyledons, roots, flowers and young pods; whereas lower expression levels were detected in radicles, stems and mature leaves at vegetative stage. Phylogeny analysis suggested that GmRLCK was more close to and might have a common ancestor with several senescence-associated RLKs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071.
authors.forename: Peng Li
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuan Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.forename: Li Wen
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ning Ning
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000032:analysis; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018745:Genome, Plant; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010802:Phylogeny; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D030262:Soybean Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013025:Glycine max / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018744:DNA, Plant; D030262:Soybean Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C105762:RPK1 protein, Arabidopsis