摘要Receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases(RLCKs)in plants belong to the super family of receptor-like kinases(RLKs).These proteins show homology to RLKs in kinase domain but Iack the transmembrane domain.Some of the functionally characterized RLCKs from plants have been shown to play roles jn development and stress responses.Previously,149 and 187 RLCK encoding genes were identified from Arabidopsis and rice,respectively.By using HMM-based domain structure and phylogenetic relationships,we have identified 379 OsRLCKs from rice.OsRLCKs are distributed on all 12 chromosomes of rice and some members are located on duplicated chromosomal segments.Several OsRLCKs probably also undergo alternative splicing,some having evidence only in the form of gene models.To understand their possible functions,expression patterns during Iandmark stages of vegetative and reproductive development as welI as abiotic and biotic stress using microarray and MPSS-based data were analyzed.Real-time PCR-based expression profiling for a selected few genes confirmed the outcome of microarray analysis.Differential expression patterns observed for majority of OsRLCKs during development and stress suggest their involvement in diverse functions in rice.Majority of the stress-responsive OsRLCKs were also found to be localized within mapped regions of abiotic stress QTLs.Outcome of this study would help in selecting organ/development stage specific OsRLCK genes/targets for functionaI validation studies.