DELLA proteins modulate responsive and buffered transcriptional programs in Arabidopsis and rice roots under water limitation.

Loss of DELLA function in Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa roots reduces sensitivity to PEG-simulated water limitation, altering primary root elongation and crown root formation.

• Why it matters: Root transcriptional programs under water limitation are not fully understood, and it is unclear how DELLA repressors shape responsive versus buffered gene regulation and whether this is conserved across species.
• What they did: DELLA function was tested in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa using polyethylene glycol (PEG) to impose reduced water availability, followed by transcriptomic profiling to classify DELLA-dependent gene regulation into two modes.
• The result: DELLA-dependent regulation splits into “WT-responsive” genes requiring DELLAs for appropriate water-limitation responses and “buffered” genes showing responsiveness mainly without DELLAs, implying DELLAs enable specific responses while constraining broader transcriptional dynamics.

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