Abstract
DELLA proteins are master growth regulators that repress responses to a group of plant growth hormones called gibberellins (GAs). Manipulation of DELLA function and signaling was instrumental in the development of high‐yielding crop varieties that saved millions from starvation during the “Green Revolution.” Despite decades of extensive research, it is still unclear how DELLA function and signaling mechanisms evolved within the land plant lineage. Here, we review current knowledge on DELLA protein function with reference to structure, posttranslational modifications, downstream transcriptional targets, and protein–protein interactions. Furthermore, we discuss older and recent findings regarding the evolution of DELLA signaling within the land plant lineage, with an emphasis on bryophytes, and identify future avenues of research that would enable us to shed more light on the evolution of DELLA signaling. Unraveling how DELLA function and signaling mechanisms have evolved could enable us to engineer better crops in an attempt to contribute to mitigating the effects of global warming and achieving global food security.
Highlights
One of the most important innovations of the 20th century that led to the expansion of modern‐day agriculture was the development of novel cultivation methods and high‐yielding crop varieties, an initiative that has been termed the “Green Revolution” (Peng et al, 1999)
DELLA proteins are master growth repressors belonging to the GRAS
The transcription factor sequestration mechanism has been observed in rice, another flowering plant, where the DELLA protein OsSLR1 interacts with NO APICAL MERISTEM 29 (OsNAC29) and OsNAC31 to prevent binding to OsNAC targets such as OsMYB61, which induces CELLULOSE SYNTHASE (OsCESA) genes that promote secondary wall cellulose synthesis required for internode development (Huang et al, 2015)
Summary
One of the most important innovations of the 20th century that led to the expansion of modern‐day agriculture was the development of novel cultivation methods and high‐yielding crop varieties, an initiative that has been termed the “Green Revolution” (Peng et al, 1999). The N‐terminal DELLA domain is responsible for the transactivation activity of DELLA proteins that represses GA responses in flowering plants, and which can be suppressed by interaction with GID1 (Hirano et al, 2012).
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