Cuticle Function
Cuticle Function - Related Videos
15:53
Isolation and Biophysical Study of Fruit Cuticles
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Cited by 16 •
2012
Aerial plant organs are protected by the cuticle, a supramolecular biopolyester-wax assembly. We present protocols to monitor selective removal of epi- and intracuticular waxes from tomato fruit cuticles on molecular and micro scales by solid-state NMR and atomic force microscopy, respectively, and to assess the cross-linking capacity of engineered cuticular biopolyesters.
11:02
Use of Arabidopsis eceriferum Mutants to Explore Plant Cuticle Biosynthesis
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Cited by 11 •
2008
The plant cuticle is a waxy outer covering on plants that has a primary role in water conservation but is also an important barrier against the entry of pathogenic microorganisms. In this video, we demonstrate the analysis of plant cuticle mutants identified by forward and reverse genetics approaches.
02:01
Cuticle Disruption: A Method to Collect Hemolymph from Drosophila Larvae
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2023
The Drosophila hemolymph serves as both blood and interstitial fluid, circulating throughout the body during the larva and adult stages. This video describes a protocol to collect larval hemolymph in order to quantify the circulating cells.
09:47
Isolation and Compositional Analysis of Plant Cuticle Lipid Polyester Monomers
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Cited by 32 •
2015
Lipid polyesters constitute the structural components of two cell wall modifications, the plant cuticle and suberin-containing diffusion barriers. In this video, we describe a method to depolymerize cutin from whole delipidated leaves. The method can be applied to investigating mutants compromised in either cutin or suberin biosynthesis.
08:33
Visualize Drosophila Leg Motor Neuron Axons Through the Adult Cuticle
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Cited by 14 •
2018
Here we describe a protocol to visualize the axonal targeting with a florescent protein in adult legs of Drosophila by fixation, mounting, imaging, and post-imaging steps.
FAQs
Plant cuticle composition, especially its wax-rich surface layer, affects how readily water and other substances cross the epidermal surface. Lower permeability helps retain surface water and reduce loss to the surroundings, while changes in permeability can also influence gas exchange and surface interactions. This makes composition important when comparing plant physiology across developmental stages or habitats.
In arthropods, the chitin-containing cuticle contributes to exoskeletal support while also limiting environmental water loss. Its combined structural and barrier roles explain why cuticle function matters in insect biology, not only as protection from physical stress. Studying these roles connects surface properties with survival under differing environmental conditions.
Development and habitat can modify cuticle composition and permeability, changing how the surface interacts with its surroundings over time. These changes may affect water retention, gas exchange, and the barrier against microbial entry or environmental stress. Consequently, the same broad cuticular role can produce different physiological outcomes as an organism matures or occupies a different habitat.
Gas exchange and water conservation can be linked through cuticle permeability. A surface that restricts exchange helps limit water loss, yet permeability also influences movement of gases across the plant surface. In plant physiology, examining both outcomes prevents researchers from interpreting the cuticle solely as a passive water barrier.
Researchers can relate surface properties to water loss, surface water retention, gas exchange, pathogen entry, and microbial interactions. In plants, these observations help explain physiological responses to environmental stress. In arthropods, attention can shift toward support, protection, and resistance to desiccation, providing a comparative biology framework.
In agriculture, cuticle research can guide efforts to improve drought resistance by clarifying how surface properties affect water retention and loss. The same knowledge supports pest management because plant cuticles can slow pathogen entry and shape interactions with microbes. These applications connect basic surface biology with crop protection and environmental stress research.