Molecular Analysis of Rice CIPKs Involved in Both Biotic and Abiotic Stress Responses

Plant calcineurin B-like (CBL) proteins have been proposed as important Ca 2+ sensors and specifically interact with CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) in plant-specific calcium signaling. Here, we identified and isolated 15 CIPK genes in a japonica rice variety Nipponbare based on the predicted sequences of rice CIPK gene family. Gene structure analysis showed that these 15 genes were divided into intron-less and intron-rich groups, and OsCIPK3 and OsCIPK24 exhibited alternative splicing in their matu...