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Fatty acyl reductase (FAR) is a crucial enzyme that catalyzes the NADPH-dependent reduction of fatty acyl-CoA or acyl-ACP substrates to primary fatty alcohols, which in turn acts as intermediate metabolites or metabolic end products to participate in the formation of plant extracellular lipid protective barriers (e.g., cuticular wax, sporopollenin, suberin, and taproot wax). FARs are widely present across plant evolution processes and play conserved roles during lipid synthesis. In this review, we provide a comprehensive view of FAR family enzymes, including phylogenetic analysis, conserved structural domains, substrate specificity, subcellular localization, tissue-specific expression patterns, their varied functions in lipid biosynthesis, and the regulation mechanism of FAR activity. Finally, we pose several questions to be addressed, such as the roles of FARs in tryphine, the interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and FARs in various environments, and the identification of post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface lipids in plants include cutin, cuticular wax and suberin. sn -Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases (GPATs) facilitate the acylation of sn -glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) utilizing a fatty acyl group from acyl-coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) or acyl-acyl carrier protein (acyl-ACP) as substrates for the biosynthesis of plant extracellular lipids such as suberin and cutin. Here we found that Arabidopsis GPAT4 and GPAT8 are specifically expressed in endodermis cells of roots where suberin was accumulated. GPAT4 mutation significantly decreased the amounts of the C16 and C18 ω-oxidized suberin monomers, whereas the mutation of GPAT8 had little effect on the suberin production, and the functions of both were not redundant. Root suberin phenotype analysis of gpat4–1 and gpat6–1 single or double mutant revealed that GPAT4 and GPAT6 play redundant functions. Interestingly, the gpat4–1 gpat8–1 double mutant displayed a glossy stem phenotype since fewer wax crystals were accumulated. This phenotype was not shown in either parent. Further study showed that the amounts of most wax components were significantly decreased. Taken together, our findings revealed that GPAT4 has an additive effect with GPAT6 in the root suberin biosynthesis, and plays a redundant role in wax production with GPAT8. • GPAT4, expressed in root endodermis cells, contributes to C16/18 ω-oxidized suberin monomers formation in roots. • GPAT4 and GPAT6 are functionally redundant in the synthesis of root suberin. • GPAT4 and GPAT8 redundantly affect wax biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]