Isolation of a novel protein phosphatase2C in rice and its response to gibberellin

Protein phosphatase 2Cs (PP2Cs) have been referred to act as negative modulators of the protein kinase pathways involved in different environmental stress responses and developmental processes. In Arabidopsis, PP2Cs have been extensively studied and some are known to negatively regulate abscisic acid signaling. In rice, PP2Cs are scarcely characterized functionally. Here, we identified a novel PP2C from rice (OsPP2C34), which is highly inducible by gibberellin (GA) and expressed in various tissues. Subcellular localization analysis in maize protoplasts using a green fluorescence protein fusion vector localized OsPP2C34 to the cytosol. Genetic analysis of T-DNA insertional mutants revealed that plant height and internode length were significantly shorter in mutants than in corresponding wild types under GA treatment. The induction of the GA-inducibleα-amylase genes RAmy3E and OsAmy was delayed in mutant plants. The substrate of OsPP2C34 was identified by immunoblotting using anti serine/threonine antibodies. A 65 kDa protein was phosphorylated in Ospp2c34-1 but dephosphorylated in the wild type during early germination stage. Overall, the present results indicated that OsPP2C34 is involved inα-amylase expression of GA signal transduction pathway.