The aerial parts of land plants are covered with cuticular waxes that limit non-stomatal water loss and gaseous exchanges,and protect plants from ultraviolet radiation and pathogen attacks.They are composed of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs;C20 to C34) in addition to their derivatives,aldehydes,alkanes,primary and secondary alcohols,and wax esters.Due to their physical properties,such as solidity at room temperature and a translucency ranging from transparent to opaque,plant waxes have been used as raw materials in the production of cosmetics,detergents,plastics,soaps,paints,drugs,lubricants,and high-value renewable fuels.Many genes involved in cuticular wax biosynthesis and export have been characterized by forward and reverse genetic approaches as well as by stem epidermis transcriptome analysis.The regulatory mechanisms of cuticular wax biosynthesis have been reported at the transcriptional,posttranscriptional,and translational levels.Recent advances in cuticular wax biosynthesis and its regulation are reviewed in this paper.