The night-time stomatal opening and CO2 uptake and fixation characteristics
of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) plants are desirable traits that can
be transferred to confer drought tolerance to C3 plants, such as rice,
wheat, potatoes, and beans. Protein kinases (PKs) play important roles in
these processes. However, only a few PKs have been studied.



Scientist Zong-Ming Cheng from Nanjing Agricultural University and
colleagues performed RNA data analysis to identify and characterize PKs in
pineapple. They further identified PKs involved in CAM photosynthesis.
Results showed 758 identified PK genes, which were classified into 20 groups
and 116 families based on domain sequences. Gene duplication and alternative
splicing, which function in stress response, were found. Significant results
include PKs expressed differently in the leaves from other tissues and PKs
expressed at different times of the day. These PKs may have roles in CAM
photosynthesis.

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