Abstract:CDPK (calcium-dependent protein kinase) is a kind of essential calcium sensors and calcium responders, which plays important roles in response to various abiotic stresses in plants. In this research, we cloned the abiotic stress response related CDPK gene with RT-PCR in Setaria italica, designated as SiCDPK1 (GenBank accession number KC249975.1). We predicted 28 CDPKs in the Setaria italica genome by using the known Arabidopsis CDPK sequences as query sequences. The phylogenetic analysis showed the SiCDPK gene family was divided into four subgroups, in which SiCDPK1 belongs to subgroup II. The ORF of SiCDPK1 contains 1596 bp, which encodes 531 amino acids. The predicted protein molecular weight is 59.5 kD and pI is 5.94. SiCDPK1 has conserved protein domains of CDPK. The regulatory element analysis of promoter in SiCDPK1 showed a lot of cis-acting elements associated with different abiotic stresses. The RT-PCR results showed that SiCDPK1 wasinduced by PEG, ABA, salinity and drought. The research on SiCDPK1 paves a way for unraveling the mechanism of abiotic stresses in plants.