The Arabidopsis ERECTA gene encodes a putative receptor protein kinase with extracellular leucine-rich repeats

• Published in: The Plant cell Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 735 - 746
• Main Authors: Torii, Keiko U., Mitsukawa, Norihiro, Oosumi, Teruko, Matsuura, Yutaka, Yokoyama, Ryusuke, Whittier, Robert F., Komeda, Yoshibumi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Society of Plant Physiologists 01-04-1996
• Subjects: adn; Alleles; Amino Acid Sequence; Amino acids; anatomia de la planta; anatomie vegetale; apical meristems; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis - anatomy & histology; Arabidopsis - genetics; arabidopsis thaliana; arn mensajero; arn messager; Base Sequence; chemical composition; chemoreceptors; chimiorecepteur; Complementary DNA; composicion quimica; composition chimique; Consensus Sequence; DNA; ecotipos; ecotype; ecotypes; etapas de desarrollo de la planta; expresion genica; expression des genes; fenotipos; fruits; frutas; gene; gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; genes; Genes, Plant; Genetic mutation; genetica; genetics; genetique; Genomics; induced mutation; inflorescence; Inflorescences; inflorescencias; leucina; leucine; meristemas; meristemas apicales; meristeme; meristeme apical; meristems; messenger rna; Molecular Sequence Data; morfogenesis; morphogenese; morphogenesis; mutacion inducida; mutant; mutantes; mutants; mutation provoquee; nucleotide sequence; pedicelle; pedicelos; pedicels; phenotype; phenotypes; plant anatomy; Plant cells; plant developmental stages; Plants; protein kinase; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - genetics; proteina quinasa; proteine kinase; quimioreceptores; Receptors; Receptors, Cell Surface - genetics; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; RNA, Messenger - genetics; secuencia nucleotidica; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; sequence nucleotidique; stade de developpement vegetal; stems; tallo; tige
• ISSN: 1040-4651; 1532-298X
• DOI: 10.1105/tpc.8.4.735

Arabidopsis Landsberg erecta is one of the most popular ecotypes and is used widely for both molecular and genetic studies. It harbors the erecta (er) mutation, which confers a compact inflorescence, blunt fruits, and short petioles. We have identified five er mutant alleles from ecotypes Columbia and Wassilewskija. Phenotypic characterization of the mutant alleles suggests a role for the ER gene in regulating the shape of organs originating from the shoot apical meristem. We cloned the ER gene, and here, we report that it encodes a putative receptor protein kinase. The deduced ER protein contains a cytoplasmic protein kinase catalytic domain, a transmembrane region, and an extracellular domain consisting of leucine-rich repeats, which are thought to interact with other macromolecules. Our results suggest that cell-cell communication mediated by a receptor kinase has an important role in plant morphogenesis.