Regulation of the DNA Repair Response by DELLA proteins

DNA damage represents a threat for organisms because it can generate harmful mutations in the genetic material that not only affect the individual, but can also be transmitted to the next generation. Plants are sessile organisms that are exposed to mutagenic agents, and it is a reported cause of productivity loss in crops. When DNA damage occurs, organisms trigger a signaling pathway called DNA Damage Response (DDR). The aim of DDR is the transcriptional regulation of genes related to cell cycle, endoreduplication and cell death, to limit the harm. Preliminary data obtained at the laboratory indicate that plants with low and high DELLA activity are less and more tolerant to DNA damage under stress conditions, respectively. DELLAs are important growth repressors involved in several regulatory pathways. These proteins act as regulatory 'hubs' linking environmental signals with cellular functions and coordinating growth and stress responses. In this project we propose to elucidate the mechanism by which DELLA proteins act to enhance DDR using drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana as a study model. This will generate new knowledge about the function of DELLAs in plants, allowing the possibility of design novel tools to improve crops of agronomic interest in the future.