Chewing the fat: beta-oxidation in signalling and development

Peroxisomal β-oxidation is involved not only in fatty acid catabolism and lipid housekeeping but also in metabolism of hormones and amino acids in plants. Recent research in model species has led to new insights into the roles of this pathway in signalling and development, in particular regarding the involvement of β-oxidation in jasmonic acid biosynthesis. Analysis of associated processes, such as the glyoxylate cycle and redox metabolism has also highlighted the importance of integration of β-oxidation with cytosolic and mitochondrial metabolism. Mutations that disrupt β-oxidation can have extremely pleiotropic effects, indicating important and varied roles for this pathway throughout the plant life cycle and making this an exciting topic for future research.