title: Cloning and characterization of the SERK1 gene in triploid Pingyi Tiancha [Malus hupehensis (Pamp.) Rehd. var. pingyiensis Jiang] and a tetraploid hybrid strain.
abstract: This study aims to explore the roles of somatic embryogenesis receptor-like kinase (SERK) in Malus hupehensis (Pingyi Tiancha). The full-length sequences of SERK1 in triploid Pingyi Tiancha (3n) and a tetraploid hybrid strain 33# (4n) were cloned, sequenced, and designated as MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1, respectively. Multiple alignments of amino acid sequences were conducted to identify similarity between MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1 and SERK sequences in other species, and a neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was constructed to elucidate their phylogenetic relations. Expression levels of MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1 in different tissues and developmental stages were investigated using quantitative real-time PCR. The coding sequence lengths of MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1 were 1899 bp (encoding 632 amino acids) and 1881 bp (encoding 626 amino acids), respectively. Sequence analysis demonstrated that MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1 display high similarity to SERKs in other species, with a conserved intron/exon structure that is unique to members of the SERK family. Additionally, the phylogenetic tree showed that MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1 clustered with orange CitSERK (93%). Furthermore, MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1 were mainly expressed in the reproductive organs, in particular the ovary. Their expression levels were highest in young flowers and they differed among different tissues and organs. Our results suggest that MhSERK1 and MhdSERK1 are related to plant reproduction, and that MhSERK1 is related to apomixis in triploid Pingyi Tiancha.
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China wxdong63@126.com.
authors.forename: W X
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Yantai Agricultural Science and Technology Institute, Yantai, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.
authors.forename: X J
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D027845:Malus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D057891:Tetraploidy; D057885:Triploidy
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C440035:SERK1 protein, Arabidopsis