Scratching the surface: genetic regulation of cuticle assembly in fleshy fruit

The hydrophobic cuticular membrane of land plants performs a number of important roles during fruit development, including protection from a range of abiotic and biotic stresses. The components of the fleshy fruit cuticle are synthesized and secreted from the epidermal cells. While the biosynthetic and transport pathways of the cuticle have been thoroughly investigated for a number of decades, the regulatory mechanisms allowing fine tuning of cuticle deposition are only now beginning to be elucidated. Transcription factors belonging to the APETALA2, homeodomain-leucine zipper IV, and MYB families have been shown to be important regulators of both cuticle biosynthesis and epidermal cell differentiation, highlighting the connection between these processes. The involvement of MADS-box transcription factors demonstrates the link between fruit ripening and cuticle deposition. Epigenetic and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms also play a role in the control of cuticle biosynthesis, in addition to phytohormones, such as abscisic acid, that have been shown to stimulate cuticle deposition. These various levels of genetic regulation allow the plant constantly to maintain and adjust the cuticle in response to environmental and developmental cues.