Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors as plant growth regulators

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The Arabidopsis Cdc2a-interacting protein ICK2 is structurally related to ICK1 and is a potent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase activity in vitro

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are important regulators of the eukaryotic cell division cycle. To study protein–protein interactions involving plant CDKs, the Arabidopsis thaliana Cdc2aAt was used as bait in the yeast two-hybrid system. Here we report on the isolation of ICK2, and show that it interacts with Cdc2aAt, but not with a second CDK from Arabidopsis, Cdc2bAt. ICK2 contains a carboxy-terminal domain related to that of ICK1, a previously described CDK inhibitor from Arabidopsis, and to the CDK-binding domain of the mammalian inhibitor p27Kip1. Outside of this domain, ICK2 is distinct from ICK1, p27Kip1, and other proteins. At nanogram levels (8 nM), purified recombinant ICK2 inhibits p13Suc1-associated histone H1 kinase activity from Arabidopsis tissue extracts, demonstrating that it is a potent inhibitor of plant CDK activity in vitro. ICK2 mRNA was present in all tissues analysed by Northern hybridization, and its distribution was distinct from that of ICK1. These results demonstrate that plants possess a family of differentially regulated CDK inhibitors that contain a conserved carboxy terminal but with distinct amino terminal regions

ICK1, a cyclin-dependent protein kinase inhibitor fromArabidopsis thalianainteracts with both Cdc2a and CycD3, and its expression is induced by abscisic acid

Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor genes encode low molecular weight proteins which have important functions in cell cycle regulation, development and perhaps also in tumorigenesis. The first plant CDK inhibitor geneICK1was recently identified fromArabidopsis thaliana. Although the C-terminal domain of ICK1 contained an important consensus sequence with the mammalian CDK inhibitor p27Kip1, the remainder of the deduced ICK1 sequence showed little similarity to any known CDK inhibitors.In vitroassays showed that recombinant ICK1 exhibited unique kinase inhibitory properties. In the present study we characterized ICK1 in terms of its gene structure, its interaction with bothA. thalianaCdc2a and CycD3, and its induction by the plant growth regulator, abscisic acid (ABA).ICK1was expressed at a relatively low level in the tissues surveyed. However,ICK1was induced by ABA, and along withICK1induction there was a decrease in Cdc2-like histone H1 kinase activity. These results suggest a molecular mechanism by which plant cell division might be inhibited by ABA.ICK1clones were also identified from independent yeast two-hybrid screens using the CycD3 construct. The implication that ICK1 protein could interact with both Cdc2a and CycD3 was confirmed byin vitrobinding assays. Furthermore, deletion analysis indicated that different regions of ICK1 are required for the interactions with Cdc2a and CycD3. These results provide a mechanistic basis for understanding the role of CDK inhibitors in cell cycle regulation in plant cells