The effects of stress on plant cuticular waxes.

Plant surfaces with cuticular folds are slippery for beetles.

Plant surfaces covered with three-dimensional (3D) waxes are known to strongly reduce insect adhesion, leading to slippery surfaces. Besides 3D epicuticular waxes, cuticular folds are a common microstructure found on plant surfaces, which have not been quantitatively investigated with regard to their influence on insect adhesion. We performed traction experiments with Colorado potato beetles on...

Transcriptional regulation of functional genes involved in cuticular wax biosynthesis by MYB family transcriptional factors in plants

MYB transcription factor family is one of the largest families in the plant kingdom, specifically characterized by a Helix-turn-helix domain in their structural configuration with two repeats of R2R3 MYB domain and are known for regulating plant stress tolerance (abiotic and biotic) through ABA dependent signaling systems. R2R3MYB family transcription factors plays a role in the regulation of s...

Molecular and Evolutionary Mechanisms of Cuticular Wax for Plant Drought Tolerance

Cuticular wax, the first protective layer of above ground tissues of many plant species, is a key evolutionary innovation in plants. Cuticular wax safeguards the evolution from certain green algae to flowering plants and the diversification of plant taxa during the eras of dry and adverse terrestrial living conditions and global climate changes. Cuticular wax plays significant roles in plant ab...

The MYB96 transcription factor regulates cuticular wax biosynthesis under drought conditions in Arabidopsis.

Drought stress activates several defense responses in plants, such as stomatal closure, maintenance of root water uptake, and synthesis of osmoprotectants. Accumulating evidence suggests that deposition of cuticular waxes is also associated with plant responses to cellular dehydration. Yet, how cuticular wax biosynthesis is regulated in response to drought is unknown. We have recently reported ...

Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Plant and Insect Surface Compounds: Cuticular Waxes and Terpenoids