ABSTRACT Plant epidermal cuticles are composed of hydrophobic lipids that provide a barrier to non-stomatal water loss, and arose in land plants as an adaptation to the dry terrestrial environment. The expanding maize adult leaf displays a dynamic, proximodistal gradient of cuticle development, from the leaf base to the tip. Recently, our gene co-expression network analyses together with reverse genetic analyses suggested a previously undescribed function for PHYTOCHROME-mediated light signaling during cuticular wax deposition. The present work extends these findings by identifying a role for a specific LIPID TRANSFER PROTEIN (LTP) in cuticle development, and validating it via transgenic experiments in Arabidopsis. Given that LTPs and cuticles both evolved in land plants and are absent from aquatic green algae, we propose that during plant evolution, LTPs arose as one of the innovations of land plants that enabled development of the cuticle.

中文翻译：

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玉米脂质转移蛋白可以弥合光敏色素介导的光信号和角质层生物合成之间的差距

摘要 植物表皮角质层由疏水脂质组成，为非气孔失水提供屏障，并出现在陆地植物中，以适应干燥的陆地环境。扩大的玉米成年叶显示出从叶基到尖端的动态表皮发育近端梯度。最近，我们的基因共表达网络分析以及反向遗传分析表明，在角质层蜡沉积过程中，PHYTOCHROME 介导的光信号传导具有以前未描述的功能。目前的工作通过确定特定脂质转移蛋白 (LTP) 在角质层发育中的作用，并通过拟南芥中的转基因实验对其进行验证，从而扩展了这些发现。鉴于 LTP 和角质层都在陆地植物中进化，而在水生绿藻中不存在，