A full-length cDNA (1,434 bp) of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), a key molecule of a signal transduction cascade, was isolated from the estuarine heterotrophic dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida. This cDNA (Ppmapk1) encoded a protein (PpMAPK1) of 428 amino acid residues that shared about 30 to 40% amino acid similarity with MAPKs in other organisms. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PpMAPK1 was tightly clustered with MAPK3 in protozoans. Using reverse transcription-PCR, expression of this gene was evaluated for P. piscicida cultures grown under different conditions. While salinity shock, heat shock, starvation, and a subsequent encounter with prey did not appear to affect expression of this gene, Ppmapk1 expression level was correlated with growth rate, suggesting involvement of this gene in the regulation of cell proliferation in the organism.