SummaryThe Arabidopsis ERECTA (ER) gene regulates elongation of above-ground organs. ER encodes a member of the leucine-rich repeats-receptor-like protein kinases ( LRR-RLK) gene family, with the predicted protein containing a signal peptide, 20 leucine-rich repeats in the extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic serine/threonine protein kinase domain. The structural features of the predicted ER protein suggest its role in cell-cell signalling is through phosphorylating serine/threonine residues. Consistent with this hypothesis, in vitro protein kinase analysis indicates that ER is a functional serine/threonine protein kinase. Furthermore, a large-scale genetic screen was conducted to analyse new mutations in the erecta gene; 16 new er alleles were isolated, all of which were recessive. Here we present the identification of molecular lesions of seven alleles of er , which suggests the hypothesis that ERECTA might employ a mode of action distinct from other RLKs such as Xa21 or CLAVATA1, which function in disease resistance and developmental pathways, respectively.
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