title: The Arabidopsis wall associated kinase-like 10 gene encodes a functional guanylyl cyclase and is co-expressed with pathogen defense related genes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Second messengers have a key role in linking environmental stimuli to physiological responses. One such messenger, guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP), has long been known to be an essential signaling molecule in many different physiological processes in higher plants, including biotic stress responses. To date, however, the guanylyl cyclase (GC) enzymes that catalyze the formation of cGMP from GTP have largely remained elusive in higher plants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have identified an Arabidopsis receptor type wall associated kinase-like molecule (AtWAKL10) as a candidate GC and provide experimental evidence to show that the intracellular domain of AtWAKL10(431-700) can generate cGMP in vitro. Further, we also demonstrate that the molecule has kinase activity indicating that AtWAKL10 is a twin-domain catalytic protein. A co-expression and stimulus-specific expression analysis revealed that AtWAKL10 is consistently co-expressed with well characterized pathogen defense related genes and along with these genes is induced early and sharply in response to a range of pathogens and their elicitors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrate that AtWAKL10 is a twin-domain, kinase-GC signaling molecule that may function in biotic stress responses that are critically dependent on the second messenger cGMP.
authors.affiliation: Computational Bioscience Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: Oziniel
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ruzvidzo
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morse
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Donaldson
authors.forename: Lusisizwe
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kwezi
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gehring
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D055162:Biocatalysis; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase