![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
Abstract
The deposition of lipid-based polymers makes the outermost layer of the plant epidermis very special. Recent advances in the study of cuticular polymers in Arabidopsis thaliana, an established model system for genetic studies, have made it possible to understand how plants protect themselves from the damaging effects of dehydration, toxic chemicals and pathogens. Mutational analysis of relevant pathways has revealed that a surprisingly large set of diverse traits may be affected by defects in the formation of the cuticle. Alterations in cell shape and deformation of organs in some mutants, and the expression of the corresponding genes in roots, suggest that the mutated genes may actually be required for the biosynthesis of a suberin-like material, which is deposited inside epidermal cell walls. Rapid progress in genome sequencing and the availability of chemical inhibitors offer a promising means of exploring cuticle biosynthesis in many other plant species.