Structural and developmental expression of Ss-riok-2, an RIO protein kinase encoding gene of Strongyloides stercoralis

Abstract

RIO kinases are essential atypical protein kinases in diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, playing significant roles in yeast and humans. However, little is known about their functions in parasitic nematodes. In the present study, we have isolated and characterized the full-length cDNA, gDNA and a putative promoter of a RIOK-2 protein kinase (Ss-RIOK-2) encoding gene (Ss-riok-2) from Strongyloides stercoralis, a medically important parasitic nematode (Order Rhabditida). A three-dimensional structure (3D) model of Ss-RIOK-2 was generated using the Chaetomium thermophilum RIOK-2 protein kinase (Ct-RIOK-2) crystal structure 4GYG as a template. A docking study revealed some critical sit..