Poly(phenolic) deposition is a prerequisite to poly(aliphatic) deposition for functional potato suberin.

Poly(phenolic) deposition is essential for poly(aliphatic) lamella formation in potato suberin, as shown by reduced aliphatic layers in PRX19-RNAi tubers.

• Why it matters: Understanding suberin assembly is important because it plays a key role in plant protection by controlling water loss and pathogen defense. Clarifying the sequence of suberin domain deposition can inform strategies to enhance plant resilience.
• What they did: Researchers generated RNAi lines targeting three wound-induced peroxidase genes in potato, focusing on PRX19, which catalyzes phenolic monomer polymerization, and analyzed suberin composition and structure after wounding.
• The result: PRX19-RNAi tubers exhibited severely reduced poly(phenolics), diminished poly(aliphatics), and lacked lamellar bands, leading to increased water permeability and susceptibility to bacterial soft rot, supporting that poly(phenolic) assembly is a prerequisite for aliphatic lamella deposition.