Oxylipin Signaling and Plant Growth

Abstract

Oxylipins are derived from the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Further conversion of the resulting fatty acid hydroperoxides gives rise to a multitude of oxylipin classes, including hydroxy-, oxo-, or keto fatty acids, volatile aldehydes, and the phytohormone, jasmonic acid (JA). Oxylipins may be structurally further diversified by esterification, i.e., to plastidial glycolipids, Arabidopsides, or conjugation to amino acids. Oxylipin research so far has focused mainly on the investigation of jasmonates and their roles in wound signaling and plant development. In contrast, the physiological roles of other oxylipins are by far less well understood, in part because enzymes responsible for their formation are not well characterized. This chapter aims at giving an overview of plant oxylipin signaling, highlighting recent discoveries of new roles for different oxylipins in the regulation of developmental or adaptational processes.