Putative Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor-Like Kinase of Jute Involved in Stress Response

A putative leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinase (LRR-RLK) gene together with its 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions of jute (Corchorus olitorius L.) has been identified and sequenced. The gene is 3,371 bp long containing two exons and one intron. The coding sequence of the gene is 2,879 bp long encoding a peptide of 957 amino acids. The predicted protein contains several domains and motifs characteristic of a transmembrane protein kinase. It is complete with domains for an N-terminal leucine-rich repeat and a protein kinase core, an active site for serine/threonine protein kinase, an ATP binding conserved site and a transmembrane region. Expression of the gene is induced by low temperature, high salt concentration, dehydration, abscisic acid treatment, and fungal infection, suggesting the involvement of the gene in multiple stress response pathways in jute (C. olitorius L.). A possible mechanism of the role of the gene in signal transduction and environmental stress response is discussed. To date, LRR-RLK is the only jute gene which has been completely sequenced and characterized.