The Arabidopsis CURVY1 (CVY1) gene encoding a novel receptor-like protein kinase regulates cell morphogenesis, flowering time and seed production

Background: A molecular-level understanding of the loss of CURVY1 (CVY1) gene expression (which encodes a member of the receptor-like protein kinase family) was investigated to gain insights into the mechanisms controlling cell morphogenesis and development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results: Using a reverse genetic and cell biology approaches, we demonstrate that CVY1 is a new DISTORTED gene with similar phenotypic characterization to previously characterized ARP2/3 distorted mutants. Compared to the wild type, cvy1 mutant displayed a strong distorted trichome and altered pavement cell phenotypes. In addition, cvy1 null-mutant flowers earlier, grows faster and produces more siliques than WT and the arp2/3 mutants. The CVY1 gene is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues and seems to negatively regulate growth and yield in higher plants. Conclusions: Our results suggest that CURVY1 gene participates in several biochemical pathways in Arabidopsis thaliana including (i) cell morphogenesis regulation through actin cytoskeleton functional networks, (ii) the transition of vegetative to the reproductive stage and (iii) the production of seeds.