Role of the RKIP family in signal transduction in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Applicant: Professor Philip Anthony Wigge, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Plant Physiology
• Term: from 2002 to 2007
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5388987

Arabidopsis thaliana contains 6 genes encoding members of a family of small proteins related to the Raf1 Kinase Inhibitor Proteins (RKIP) found in mammals. Homologs are also present in fungi and bacteria. The biochemical mechanism of these proteins is best understood in mammalian cells, where RKIPs have been shown to inhibit several kinases in a competitive manner. While little is known about the biochemical details in plants, much more is known about their biological roles in plants than in animals. In Arabidopsis, the two RKIP homolgs TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) inhibit and promote flowering, respectively. The genes have been placed genetically within the framework of regulatory genes controlling flowering, and both upstream and downstream acting genes are known. Among the other four family members, one each (ATC, TSF) is very similar to TFL1 and FT, while the others (BFT, MFT) are more distantly related.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants