Receptor-like cytoplasmic protein kinases (RLCKs) are involved in various activities in plant growth and development. We have totally identified 162, 160, and 402 RLCK genes in maize, rice, and Arabidopsis genomes, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses divided 724 RLCK genes into 15 subfamilies and similar structural patterns of kinase activity sites and functional sites were observed within the subfamilies. Furthermore, the structural patterns of intron/exon in the same subfamilies were similar, implicating their close evolutionary relationship. Chromosome distribution indicated that segmental duplication of RLCK genes might be a major mechanism contributing to the expansion of the RLCK superfamilies in maize, rice, and Arabidopsis, respectively. The analysis of the synteny relationship and gene structure indicated that the evolution of most RLCKs in maize were prior to rice and Arabidopsis. Most of the ratio of Ka/Ks is inferior to one, suggesting that RLCK genes have experienced the negative selection in maize, rice and Arabidopsis. Duplication time revealed that the maize was the earliest emergence among these three species. The expression profiles showed that there are some specifically expressed RLCK genes in maize root, leaf, ear, and tassel. These specific expression genes may participate in the developmental regulation of these maize tissues. Our results will be useful in providing new insights into evolution of RLCKs and revealing the regulatory network of maize, rice, and Arabidopsis development.
Keywords: RLCK gene; duplication; kinase activity site; negative selection; synteny.