Uncovering the involvement of DoDELLA1-interacting proteins in development by characterizing the DoDELLA gene family in Dendrobium officinale

BACKGROUND: Gibberellins (GAs) are widely involved in plant growth and development. DELLA proteins are key regulators of plant development and a negative regulatory factor of GA. Dendrobium officinale is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine, but little is known about D. officinale DELLA proteins. Assessing the function of D. officinale DELLA proteins would provide an understanding of their roles in this orchid’s development. RESULTS: In this study, the D. officinale DELLA gene family was identified. The function of DoDELLA1 was analyzed in detail. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of all DoDELLA genes were significantly up-regulated in multiple shoots and GA(3)-treated leaves. DoDELLA1 and DoDELLA3 were significantly up-regulated in response to salt stress but were significantly down-regulated under drought stress. DoDELLA1 was localized in the nucleus. A strong interaction was observed between DoDELLA1 and DoMYB39 or DoMYB308, but a weak interaction with DoWAT1. CONCLUSIONS: In D. officinale, a developmental regulatory network involves a close link between DELLA and other key proteins in this orchid’s life cycle. DELLA plays a crucial role in D. officinale development. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12870-023-04099-w.