Receptor-like
cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) form a large family of proteins in plants. RLCKs
have been found in different plant species, regulating plant immunity to
different bacterial and fungal pathogens. Previous studies implicated <i>Arabidopsis</i> <i>botrytis induced kinase1 (BIK1)</i> and <i>tomato protein kinase 1b (TPK1b)</i> in plant resistance to <i>Pseudomonas syringae</i> and <i>Botrytis cinerea</i>. In this study, we
classified 195 putative maize RLCKs into ten subfamilies. Based on the amino
acid sequence similarity to BIK1 and TPK1b, a novel maize RLCK,<i> zea mays bik1-like kinase 1 (ZmBLK1)</i>
was identified. Enzyme assays with cloned <i>ZmBLK1</i>
revealed a functional kinase when expressed in planta. The recombinant protein
located to the plasma membrane. Expression of <i>ZmBLK1</i> is highest in maize leaves compared to other structures at
silking stage. Expression of the recombinant <i>ZmBLK1</i> significantly reduced the rate of lesion spread in maize
leaves inoculated with the Goss’s wilt pathogen. In maize kernels, expression
of <i>ZmBLK1</i> increases during kernel
maturation. Kernels from transgenic maize overexpressing <i>ZmBLK1</i> were not resistant to <i>Aspergillus
flavus</i> or to aflatoxin contamination. In addition, mutations were made in <i>ZmBLK1</i> that were hypothesized to create
a constitutively active kinase. However, resulting proteins had similar
activity to the wild-type ZmBLK1 and transgenic plants showed similar responses
to the Goss’s wilt and Aspergillus ear rot pathogens. Overall, this research
established the first characterization of RLCKs in maize and described a
potential contribution of ZmBLK1 to maize immune responses.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:purdue.edu/oai:figshare.com:article/9034442 |
| Date | 14 August 2019 |
| Creators | Weiran Li (7036880) |
| Source Sets | Purdue University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis |
| Rights | CC BY 4.0 |
| Relation | https://figshare.com/articles/Classification_of_Receptor-Like_Cytoplasmic_Kinases_in_Maize_and_Functional_Analysis_of_ZmBLK1/9034442 |
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