Cuticle architecture and mechanical properties: a functional relationship delineated through correlated multimodal imaging

Summary Cuticles are multifunctional hydrophobic biocomposites that protect the aerial organs of plants. During plant development, plant cuticles must accommodate different mechanical constraints combining extensibility and stiffness, and the corresponding relationships with their architecture are u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2023-06, Vol.238 (5), p.2033-2046
Main Authors: Reynoud, Nicolas, Geneix, Nathalie, D'Orlando, Angelina, Petit, Johann, Mathurin, Jeremie, Deniset‐Besseau, Ariane, Marion, Didier, Rothan, Christophe, Lahaye, Marc, Bakan, Bénédicte
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AFM PF‐QNM
Biomimetics
Body organs
Composite materials
correlated multimodal imaging
Cuticles
Fruit
Fruits
Hydrophobicity
hyperspectral
Imaging techniques
Life Sciences
Mechanical properties
Modulus of elasticity
Multimodal Imaging
nanomechanical
Plant cuticle
Plants
Raman
Ripening
Solanum lycopersicum
Stiffness
Structure-function relationships
Tomatoes
Tuning
Vegetal Biology
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Summary:Summary Cuticles are multifunctional hydrophobic biocomposites that protect the aerial organs of plants. During plant development, plant cuticles must accommodate different mechanical constraints combining extensibility and stiffness, and the corresponding relationships with their architecture are unknown. Recent data showed a fine‐tuning of cuticle architecture during fruit development, with several chemical clusters which raise the question of how they impact the mechanical properties of cuticles. We investigated the in‐depth nanomechanical properties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit cuticle from early development to ripening, in relation to chemical and structural heterogeneities by developing a correlative multimodal imaging approach. Unprecedented sharps heterogeneities were evidenced including an in‐depth mechanical gradient and a ‘soft’ central furrow that were maintained throughout the plant development despite the overall increase in elastic modulus. In addition, we demonstrated that these local mechanical areas are correlated to chemical and structural gradients. This study shed light on fine‐tuning of mechanical properties of cuticles through the modulation of their architecture, providing new insight for our understanding of structure–function relationships of plant cuticles and for the design of bioinspired material.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.18862