A calcium-dependent protein kinase is involved in plant hormone signal transduction in Arabidopsis.

A number of signal pathways have been found through which abundant calcium-stimulated protein kinase activity in plant is associated with calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) which act as the calcium sensors mediating numerous responses, including hormone signaling. Basing on previous studies, we made additional functional analysis of the gene AtCPK30 encoding a protein kinase in Arabidopsis. Results of semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analysis indicated that AtCPK30 was highly expressed in root and induced by ABA, IAA, 2,4-D, GA(3) and 6-BA treatment. The physiological roles of AtCPK30 were studied using a gain-of-function approach. Seedlings of AtCPK30 transgenic lines had longer primary roots than those plants of wild-type at the early stages. Interestingly, when these plants grew on MS lack of Ca(2+) including wild-type and transgenic lines, the roots of transgenic line were more sensitive to calcium, lack of Ca(2+) had less effect on roots of transgenic lines than those of wild-type. Treated with several plant hormones, such as ABA, IAA, GA(3) and 6-BA, the roots of seedlings of transgenic line developed abnormally because they were more sensitive to hormones. Furthermore, NPA relatively less inhibited emergency of lateral roots of transgenic line than those of the wild-type. Green fluorescent protein-CPK30 (GFP-CPK30) fusion protein studies revealed the localization of AtCPK30 to both cell wall and plasma membrane. These results suggest that AtCPK30 acts as the calcium sensor and involved in the hormone-signaling pathways.