Long-Chain acyl-CoA Synthetase LACS2 Contributes to Submergence Tolerance by Modulating Cuticle Permeability in Arabidopsis.

In , LONG-CHAIN ACYL-COA SYNTHETASEs (LACSs) catalyze the synthesis of long-chain acyl-CoAs and function in diverse biological processes. We have recently revealed that LACS2 is primarily involved in the production of polyunsaturated linolenoyl-CoA, essential for the activation of ethylene response transcription factors-mediated hypoxia signaling. Here, we further reported the dual role of LACS2 in the regulation of submergence tolerance by modulating cuticle permeability in Arabidopsis cells. -overexpressors () showed improved tolerance to submergence, with higher accumulation of cuticular wax and cutin in their rosettes. In contrast, knockout of in the mutant resulted in hypersensitivity to submergence with reduced wax crystals and thinner cutin layer. By analyses of plant surface permeability, we observed that the hypoxic sensitivities in the and mutant were physiologically correlated with chlorophyll leaching, water loss rates, ionic leakage, and gas exchange. Thus, our findings suggest the role of LACS2 in plant response to submergence by modulating cuticle permeability in plant cells.