In order to protect themselves against desiccation and external environmental stresses, all land plants aerial epidermis is covered by a layer of cuticle. Cuticles are composed of a variety of organic solvent-soluble lipids, collectively known as cuticular waxes, embedded in a polymeric scaffold named cutin[1-2]. This complex structure of polymer and waxes is highly durable and biodegradable. In this respect, and taking into account the growing ecological awareness of the industrial sector, the understanding of the biosynthesic formation and the development of a biomimetic process for the production of this polymer is of great interest. It was recently proven that a family of GDSL-motif lipase, Cutin Synthase-like (CUS) enzyme, was involved in the polymerization of cutin. This has been further shown through the in-vitro polymerization of 2-mono(10,16-dihydroxyhexadecanoyl)glycerol (2-MHG), one of the main component of cutin in tomato fruit[3-4]. However, very little is known about the mechanism of action, the specificity or the tertiary structure of CUS enzymes. Our research project is focussed on the synthesis of cutin monomers and derivatives as well as putative cutin inhibitors as potential tools for biochemical and structure analysis. References [1] M. Pollard, F. Beisson, Y. Li, J. B. Ohlrogge, Trends Plant Sci., 13, 236 (2008) [2] T. H. Yeats and J. K. C. Rose, Plant Physiol., 163, 5 (2013). [3] T. H. Yeats, L. B. B. Martin, H. M.-F. Viart, T. Isaacson, Y. He, L. Zhao, A. J. Matas, G. J. Buda, D. S. Domozych, M. H. Clausen and J. K. C. Rose, Nat. Chem. Bio., 8, 609 (2012). [4] T. H. Yeats, W. Huang, S. Chatterjee, H. M.-F. Viart, M. H. Clausen, R.E. Stark and J. K. C. Rose, Plant J., 77, 667 (2014).