At2g46070: MPK12 (MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE 12)

Encodes a MAP kinase protein. MPK12 interacts with the IBR5 protein phosphatase in vitro and in vivo, and it can be dephosphorylated and inactivated by IBR5. MPK12 appears to be a negative regulator of auxin signlaing. MPK12 RNAi lines are hypersensitive to auxin in root elongation and transcriptional response assays, but they appear to have normal sensitivity to ABA. MPK12 is a nuclear protein and its kinase activity is increased following auxin treatment. MPK12 transcripts are widely expressed in seedlings, but MPK12 expression is stronger in guard cells than in other cell types in mature plants.