Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5351-5367 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Experimental Botany |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 19 |
| Early online date | 13 Sept 2017 |
| Publication status | Published - 9 Nov 2017 |
Abstract
Cuticles envelope primary surfaces of the above-ground portion of plants. They function as barriers to water movement and to gas exchange, and in pathogen defense. To serve as a barrier on growing organs, cuticles must remain intact but at the same time must accommodate ongoing growth. Minimizing cuticle failure has stimulated significant research on the cuticle's mechanical properties. The objective here is to review the literature on the mechanical properties of isolated fruit and leaf cuticles. Cuticles are viscoelastic polymers. Viscoelasticity results mainly from the cutin matrix. Impregnation by waxes, flavonoids, and cutan increases stiffness and strength but decreases extensibility. On the inner side, the cutin matrix is impregnated by cell wall polysaccharides, which are responsible for its elastic behavior. Across species, the maximum forces sustainable by hydrated cuticles in uniaxial tensile tests averaged 0.82 N (range 0.15-1.63 N), the maximum stresses averaged 13.2 MPa (range 2.0-29.0 MPa), the maximum strains averaged 8.8% (range 1.6-28.0%), and the moduli of elasticity averaged 224 MPa (range 60-730 MPa). Among the environmental factors, high temperature and hydration both decreased stiffness. Therefore, the mechanical properties of cuticles in vivo depend largely on the relative proportions of their constituents. These proportions change during development and are also affected by environmental factors such as temperature.
Keywords
- Cutin, elasticity, flavonoids, fracture, plasticity, stiffness, strain, stress, viscoelasticity, wax
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Physiology
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Plant Science
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In: Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol. 68, No. 19, 09.11.2017, p. 5351-5367.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mechanical properties of cuticles and their primary determinants
AU - Khanal, Bishnu P.
AU - Knoche, Moritz
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com. Copyright: This record is sourced from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
PY - 2017/11/9
Y1 - 2017/11/9
N2 - Cuticles envelope primary surfaces of the above-ground portion of plants. They function as barriers to water movement and to gas exchange, and in pathogen defense. To serve as a barrier on growing organs, cuticles must remain intact but at the same time must accommodate ongoing growth. Minimizing cuticle failure has stimulated significant research on the cuticle's mechanical properties. The objective here is to review the literature on the mechanical properties of isolated fruit and leaf cuticles. Cuticles are viscoelastic polymers. Viscoelasticity results mainly from the cutin matrix. Impregnation by waxes, flavonoids, and cutan increases stiffness and strength but decreases extensibility. On the inner side, the cutin matrix is impregnated by cell wall polysaccharides, which are responsible for its elastic behavior. Across species, the maximum forces sustainable by hydrated cuticles in uniaxial tensile tests averaged 0.82 N (range 0.15-1.63 N), the maximum stresses averaged 13.2 MPa (range 2.0-29.0 MPa), the maximum strains averaged 8.8% (range 1.6-28.0%), and the moduli of elasticity averaged 224 MPa (range 60-730 MPa). Among the environmental factors, high temperature and hydration both decreased stiffness. Therefore, the mechanical properties of cuticles in vivo depend largely on the relative proportions of their constituents. These proportions change during development and are also affected by environmental factors such as temperature.
AB - Cuticles envelope primary surfaces of the above-ground portion of plants. They function as barriers to water movement and to gas exchange, and in pathogen defense. To serve as a barrier on growing organs, cuticles must remain intact but at the same time must accommodate ongoing growth. Minimizing cuticle failure has stimulated significant research on the cuticle's mechanical properties. The objective here is to review the literature on the mechanical properties of isolated fruit and leaf cuticles. Cuticles are viscoelastic polymers. Viscoelasticity results mainly from the cutin matrix. Impregnation by waxes, flavonoids, and cutan increases stiffness and strength but decreases extensibility. On the inner side, the cutin matrix is impregnated by cell wall polysaccharides, which are responsible for its elastic behavior. Across species, the maximum forces sustainable by hydrated cuticles in uniaxial tensile tests averaged 0.82 N (range 0.15-1.63 N), the maximum stresses averaged 13.2 MPa (range 2.0-29.0 MPa), the maximum strains averaged 8.8% (range 1.6-28.0%), and the moduli of elasticity averaged 224 MPa (range 60-730 MPa). Among the environmental factors, high temperature and hydration both decreased stiffness. Therefore, the mechanical properties of cuticles in vivo depend largely on the relative proportions of their constituents. These proportions change during development and are also affected by environmental factors such as temperature.
KW - Cutin
KW - elasticity
KW - flavonoids
KW - fracture
KW - plasticity
KW - stiffness
KW - strain
KW - stress
KW - viscoelasticity
KW - wax
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85030650082&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/jxb/erx265
DO - 10.1093/jxb/erx265
M3 - Article
C2 - 28992090
AN - SCOPUS:85030650082
VL - 68
SP - 5351
EP - 5367
JO - Journal of Experimental Botany
JF - Journal of Experimental Botany
SN - 0022-0957
IS - 19
ER -