New insights into the biosynthesis of esterified oxylipins and their involvement in plant defense and developmental mechanisms

Plant oxylipins produced following oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids are structurally diverse metabolites that play crucial developmental and defensive roles. Whereas free oxylipins are well studied, oxylipins esterified in complex lipids such as galacto- and phospholipids are thought to be rare and have unclear roles. In the last few years, new analytical methods have been developed, leading to the discovery of many esterified oxylipins in a variety of plant species. This suggests that these molecules may be ubiquitous plant metabolites. While their precise functions are unclear, esterified oxylipins seem to play important roles in plant development and defense. This review focuses on new insights regarding diversity, biosynthesis and function of those interesting and understudied molecules.