The Tomato MIXTA-Like Transcription Factor Coordinates Fruit Epidermis Conical Cell Development and Cuticular Lipid Biosynthesis and Assembly.

The epidermis of aerial plant organs is the primary source of building blocks forming the outer surface cuticular layer. To examine the relationship between epidermal cell development and cuticle assembly in the context of fruit surface, we investigated the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) MIXTA-like gene. MIXTA/MIXTA-like proteins, initially described in snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) petals, are known regulators of epidermal cell differentiation.

Sequential oxidation of Jasmonoyl-Phenylalanine and Jasmonoyl-Isoleucine by multiple cytochrome P450 of the CYP94 family through newly identified aldehyde intermediates.

The role and fate of Jasmonoyl-Phenylalanine (JA-Phe), an understudied conjugate in the jasmonate pathway remain to be unraveled. We addressed here the possibility of JA-Phe oxidative turnover by cytochrome P450s of the CYP94 family. Leaf wounding or fungal infection in Arabidopsis resulted in accumulation of JA-Phe, 12-hydroxyl (12OH-JA-Phe) and 12-carboxyl (12COOH-JA-Phe) derivatives, with patterns differing from those previously described for Jasmonoyl-Isoleucine.

Rice CYP703A3, a cytochrome P450 hydroxylase, is essential for development of anther cuticle and pollen exine.

Anther cuticle and pollen exine act as protective envelopes for the male gametophyte or pollen grain, but the mechanism underlying the synthesis of these lipidic polymers remains unclear. Previously, a tapetum-expressed CYP703A3, a putative cytochrome P450 fatty acid hydroxylase, was shown to be essential for male fertility in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

The tomato SlSHINE3 transcription factor regulates fruit cuticle formation and epidermal patterning.

Fleshy tomato fruit typically lacks stomata; therefore, a proper cuticle is particularly vital for fruit development and interaction with the surroundings. Here, we characterized the tomato SlSHINE3 (SlSHN3) transcription factor to extend our limited knowledge regarding the regulation of cuticle formation in fleshy fruits. We created SlSHN3 overexpressing and silenced plants, and used them for detailed analysis of cuticular lipid compositions, phenotypic characterization, and the study on the mode of SlSHN3 action.

CYP52X1, representing new cytochrome P450 subfamily, displays fatty acid hydroxylase activity and contributes to virulence and growth on insect cuticular substrates in entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana.

Infection of insects by the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana proceeds via attachment and penetration of the host cuticle. The outermost epicuticular layer or waxy layer of the insect represents a structure rich in lipids including abundant amounts of hydrocarbons and fatty acids. A member of a novel cytochrome P450 subfamily, CYP52X1, implicated in fatty acid assimilation by B.

Cytochromes P450 CYP94C1 and CYP94B3 catalyze two successive oxidation steps of plant hormone Jasmonoyl-isoleucine for catabolic turnover.

The jasmonate hormonal pathway regulates important defensive and developmental processes in plants. Jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) has been identified as a specific ligand binding the COI1-JAZ co-receptor to relieve repression of jasmonate responses. Two JA-Ile derivatives, 12OH-JA-Ile and 12COOH-JA-Ile, accumulate in wounded Arabidopsis leaves in a COI1- and JAR1-dependent manner and reflect catabolic turnover of the hormone.