Cloning and Expression analysis of somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase (SERK) gene from Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo

Abstract:

In order to understand the function of somatic embryogenesis receptor-like kinase gene (DoSERK) from Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo, the full-length cDNA of DoSERK was cloned based on transcription sequences data. The results showed that DoSERK had high homology to SERK gene in other plants, encoding 633 amino acids. Bioinformatics analysis showed that DoSERK was a hydrophilic protein locating in plasma membrane. DoSERK had typical domains of SERK proteins, containing one signal peptide, one specific proline-rich region, five leucine-rich repeat motifs, one transmembrane domain and one conservative protein kinase domain. Phylogenetic tree based on SERKs revealed that Dendrobium officinale was close to Cyrtochilum loxense and Cattleya maxima of Orchidaceae. DoSERK could widely express in tissues of Dendrobium officinale, and the expression was high in roots of seedlings. So, it was suggested that DoSERK not only involved in somatic embryogenesis, but also in many other processes of growth and development.