Gibberellin Signaling and Regulation in Plant Growth

Gibberellins (GAs) are a class of diterpenoid phytohormones that orchestrate a multitude of developmental processes, from seed germination and stem elongation to flowering and fruit production. Central to GA action is the perception of bioactive GA by the soluble receptor GID1, which facilitates the ubiquitin‐mediated degradation of nuclear growth repressors known as DELLA proteins. Removal of DELLA inhibition allows transcriptional regulators to activate gene networks governing cell division, elongation and differentiation. Recent advances underscore the spatial and temporal precision of GA signalling: biosensor technologies reveal dynamic changes in GA levels at the cellular level, while identification of membrane transporters highlights the role of directed hormone movement in shaping developmental gradients. Biosynthetic and catabolic enzymes, including 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases, are themselves regulated by feedback and feed-forward loops, integrating environmental cues such as light, temperature and nutrient availability. Crosstalk with other hormonal pathways, notably abscisic acid and cytokinins, further refines growth outcomes. Collectively, this regulatory complexity underpins phenotypic plasticity and offers routes to improved crop architecture, stress resilience and yield through targeted manipulation of GA metabolism, signalling components and transport mechanisms.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Advanced ratiometric biosensors based on engineered DELLA proteins have been deployed to visualise GA perception in the shoot apical meristem. These sensors integrate degradation dynamics of the DELLA scaffold with fluorescent readouts, permitting high‐resolution mapping of GA signalling activity. The work revealed that internode precursor cells between organ primordia exhibit the highest GA responses and that GA modulates cell division plane orientation, thereby specifying internode identity and contributing to shoot architecture. In a foundational study of hormone distribution, the NPF3 transporter was shown to mediate cellular uptake of GA and its antagonist abscisic acid, supporting a model in which transporters co-ordinate hormone interplay at the plasma membrane and influence tissue-specific hormone availability. Together, these studies illuminate how precise regulation of both hormone perception and movement shapes developmental patterning.

Gibberellin Signaling and Regulation in Plant Growth publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in gibberellin signaling and regulation in plant growth across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Gibberellins (GAs): A group of plant hormones that promote growth by triggering the degradation of growth-repressing proteins.

DELLA proteins: Nuclear growth repressors that inhibit GA‐responsive transcription and are removed upon GA perception.

Ratiometric biosensor: An engineered protein whose fluorescence ratio reports local hormone concentration and signalling activity.

Ubiquitin ligase: An enzyme that tags specific proteins with ubiquitin, marking them for degradation by the proteasome.

2-Oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases: A family of enzymes catalysing key steps in GA biosynthesis and inactivation.

Shoot apical meristem (SAM): The growing tip of a plant shoot where new leaves and stems are initiated.

References

1. A quantitative gibberellin signaling biosensor reveals a role for gibberellins in internode specification at the shoot apical meristem. Nature Communications (2024).
2. The Arabidopsis NPF3 protein is a GA transporter. Nature Communications (2016).
3. The SINA1‐BSD1 Module Regulates Vegetative Growth Involving Gibberellin Biosynthesis in Tomato. Advanced Science (2024).
4. The Current Status of Research on Gibberellin Biosynthesis. Plant and Cell Physiology (2020).
5. A Century of Gibberellin Research. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation (2015).