Volume 49, Issue 6 pp. 751-759
Free Access

Rice Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Gene Family and Its Role in Biotic and Abiotic Stress Response

Jai S. Rohila

Jai S. Rohila

Department of Plant Pathology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

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Yinong Yang

Corresponding Author

Yinong Yang

Department of Plant Pathology and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

*Author for correspondence. Tel:+1 814 867 0324; Fax:+1 814 863 7217; E-mail: <[email protected]>.Search for more papers by this author
First published: 15 June 2007
Citations: 95

Supported by the Linkage Program between United States Agency for International Development and International Rice Research Institute.

Publication of this paper is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30624808).

Abstract

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is an important signaling module that transduces extracellular stimuli into intracellular responses in eukaryotic organisms. An increasing body of evidence has shown that the MAPK-mediated cellular signaling is crucial to plant growth and development, as well as biotic and abiotic stress responses. To date, a total of 17 MAPK genes have been identified from the rice genome. Expression profiling, biochemical characterization and/or functional analysis were carried out with many members of the rice MAPK gene family, especially those associated with biotic and abiotic stress responses. In this review, the phylogenetic relationship and classification of rice MAPK genes are discussed to facilitate a simple nomenclature and standard annotation of the rice MAPK gene family. Functional data relating to biotic and abiotic stress responses are reviewed for each MAPK group and show that despite overlapping in functionality, there is a certain level of functional specificity among different rice MAP kinases. The future challenges are to functionally characterize each MAPK, to identify their downstream substrates and upstream kinases, and to genetically manipulate the MAPK signaling pathway in rice crops for the improvement of agronomically important traits.

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