Molecular cloning, expression analysis and subcellular localization of four DELLA genes from hybrid poplar

Gibberellic acid (GA) signaling regulates diverse aspects of plant growth and developmental processes. The DELLA repressors of GA signaling are named for an N-terminal conserved DELLA domain. In this study, four genes encoding DELLA proteins, PeRGA1, PeRGA2, PeGAI1 and PeGAI2, were isolated and characterized in poplar. A gene structural analysis revealed that the DELLA genes were all intron-free. Multiple protein sequence alignments revealed that these proteins contained seven highly conserved domains: the DELLA domain, the TVHYNP domain, leucine heptad repeat I (LHR I), the VHIID domain, leucine heptad repeat II (LHR II), the PFYRE domain, and the SAM domain. Temporal expression patterns of these genes were profiled during the adventitious root development of poplar. The four DELLA genes were expressed in root, stem and leaf in a dynamic manner. The subcellular localization demonstrated that these DELLA genes were mainly localized to the nucleus. These results suggest that the four DELLA genes may play diverse regulatory roles in the adventitious root, stem and leaf development of poplar, and contribute to improving our understanding of conserved and divergent aspects of DELLA proteins that restrain GA signaling in various species.