AP2 — Zea mays

Summary

ZmAP2 (ZM00001EB055820) on maize chromosome 1 encodes a protein with a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) domain and RNA polymerase II CTD heptapeptide repeat kinase activity, and is also associated with diverse molecular functions including myo-inositol:proton symporter activity, protein-cysteine S-palmitoyltransferase activity, and cellulose synthase activity. The gene is linked to numerous biological processes such as flower formation, sex determination, phloem development, regulation of root hair elongation, and shoot apical meristem development. It has been connected to agronomically important traits including seed length, cob diameter, tassel branch number, anthesis-silking interval, biomass yield, leaf angle, root volume, and responses to salt, drought, and cold stress. Localization evidence places the product at the tonoplast, Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum membrane, plasmodesmata, and in association with the cellulose synthase (CESA) complex.