Despite right open reading frame kinases (RIOKs) being essential for life, their functions, substrates and
cellular pathways remain enigmatic. In the present study, gene structures were characterised for 26
RIOKs from draft genomes of parasitic and free-living nematodes. RNA-seq transcription profiles of riok
genes were investigated for selected parasitic nematodes and showed that these kinases are transcribed
in developmental stages that infect their mammalian host. Three-dimensional structural models of
Caenorhabditis elegans RIOKs were predicted, and elucidated functional domains and conserved regions
in nematode homologs. These findings provide prospects for functional studies of riok genes in C. elegans,
and an opportunity for the design and validation of nematode-specific inhibitors of these enzymes in
socioeconomic parasitic worms.