In the ovary epidermis of O. umbellatum there are lipotubuloid metabolons (LMs), in
which synthesis of lipids takes place. This process partly provides nourishment, and
partly cuticle building blocks, transformed, among others, with the participation
of cutinsomes. The cutinsomes are cutin-building structures, 40-200nm in size, which
are formed as a result of self-assembly and self-esterification of hydroxy fatty acids.
The cutinsomes, by binding to the cuticle, introduce into it nonlinear, amorphous
and cross-linked polymers. Double-immunogold EM observations revealed that enzymes
producing elements of cutin (GPAT6) and waxes (WS/DGAT) were found not only as free
cytoplasmic molecules but also in many cases they were bound to carboxylate-carboxylic
shell of cuntinsomes. Hence, we suppose that these enzymes can move alone or together
with the cutinsomes through cytoplasm (pH 6.8-7.0), plasmalemma and the polysaccharide
layer of a cell wall to the site of their functioning i.e. to the cuticle (pH 5.0).