Having evolutionary significance in establishing colonization of terrestrial plants, cuticle occurs to act as a continuous shield over the plant epidermal cells, facilitating multifunctional communication passage between the plant and outer environment. Cuticle is a hydrophobic layer acting as a fencing between the aerial plant parts viz. primary stem, leaves, trichomes, flowers and fruits, and their external environment. The chemical nature and structure of cuticle may vary during various developmental and growth stages, as well as between various organs, genotypes, and species, depending on the environmental conditions. It is majorly composed of cutin and epicuticular wax depositions. In-depth understanding of the mechanism behind the cuticle biosynthesis remains to be unveiled. This review systematically discusses and sheds light on the structure and composition of cuticle, various genes, transcription factors and molecular pathways involved in the biosynthesis of cuticle, and how their regulation affect the plant health. Moreover, various functions of cuticle in terms of plant protection have been discussed.

在建立陆生植物定殖方面具有进化意义，角质层可充当植物表皮细胞的连续屏障，促进植物与外部环境之间的多功能交流。表皮是疏水性的层，在空中植物部分之间起到隔离作用。主要茎，叶，毛状体，花和果实及其外部环境。表皮的化学性质和结构在不同的发育和生长阶段以及各种器官，基因型和物种之间可能会有所不同，具体取决于环境条件。它主要由角质和表皮蜡沉积物组成。对表皮生物合成背后机制的深入了解尚待揭示。这篇综述系统地讨论并阐明了表皮的结构和组成，表皮生物合成中涉及的各种基因，转录因子和分子途径，以及它们的调控如何影响植物健康。此外，已经讨论了表皮在植物保护方面的各种功能。