Cloning and characterization of a type-A response regulator differentially expressed during adventitious shoot formation in Pinus pinea L.

Type-A response regulators play an important role in cytokinin-induced adventitious shoot formation, acting as negative regulators of cytokinin signal transduction. In this work, we obtained the full-length cDNA clone of a type-A response regulator from the conifer Pinus pinea, designated PipiRR1. The derived peptide sequence showed all the characteristic motifs found in angiosperms. Gene expression analysis showed that the gene was differentially expressed during adventitious shoot formation in P. pinea cotyledons, suggesting that PipiRR1 may play a role in caulogenesis in conifers. This is the first type-A response regulator identified in gymnosperms.