p34 super(cdc2) protein kinase homolog from mothbean (Vigna aconitifolia)

The molecular machinery that controls cell division in eukaryotes is conserved. The key component of this machinery is a complex of cyclins and p34 super(cdc2) protein kinases that is involved in the control of both G sub(1) to S phase and G sub(2) to M phase transitions in the cell cycle. As a step toward dissection of the Rhizobium-mediated signal transduction pathway(s) leading to the initiation of cortical cell division in legume roots, we have isolated a cDNA clone encoding a p34 super(cdc2) protein kinase from a mothbean (Vigna aconitifolia) nodule cDNA library. The mothbean p34 super(cdc2) protein kinase cDNA sequence is 1339 bp in length with an open reading frame encoding a peptide of 294 amino acids. Amino acid sequences in the highly conserved regions, including the ATP-binding region, catalytic domain for protein kinases, and the PSTAIR motif, are identical among the p34 super(cdc2) genes from yeast, mothbean, and soybean.