Cutin is one of two
waxy polymers that are the main components of the
plant cuticle, which covers all aerial surfaces of
plants, the other being
cutan. It is an insoluble substance with
waterproof quality. Cutin also harbors cuticular waxes, which assist in cuticle structure.[1] Cutan, the other major cuticle polymer, is much more readily
preserved in fossil records.[2] Cutin consists of
omega hydroxy acids and their derivatives, which are interlinked via
ester bonds, forming a polyester polymer of indeterminate size.
There are two major
monomer families of cutin, the C16 and C18 families. The C16 family consists mainly of
16-hydroxy palmitic acid and 9,16- or 10,16-dihydroxypalmitic acid. The C18 family consists mainly of 18-hydroxy
oleic acid, 9,10-epoxy-18-hydroxy
stearic acid, and 9,10,18-trihydroxystearate.[3]
^Briggs, D. E. G. (1999), "Molecular taphonomy of animal and plant cuticles: selective preservation and diagenesis", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 354 (1379): 7–17,
doi:
10.1098/rstb.1999.0356,
PMC1692454
^Holloway, PJ (1982). "The chemical constitution of plant cutins". In Cutler, DF, Alvin, KL and Price, CE (1982) The Plant Cuticle. Academic Press London, pp 45–85.