Abstract: Vitamin E is an important class of lipid-soluble compounds with antioxidant activities. It can be synthesized in the photosynthetic organs of higher plants and cyanobacteria. The eight natural products of vitamin E (designated as α,β,γ,δ-tocopherol and α,β,γ,δ-ocotrienol) play an important role in human and animal life. In this article, the metabolic process of vitamin E in vivo, the current progress in synthesis-related enzyme gene cloning and manifestations of vitamin E transgenic plant in abiotic stress are summarized. At present, all the enzyme genes for vitamin E synthesis have been cloned from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and from Cyanobacteria. Vitamin E genes in over 26 plants have also been cloned and the functions of antioxidant activities have been preliminarily clarified. In future work, the function and the relationships of vitamin E should be further clarified, especially the tocotrienols. The important values of tocopherols should be extended by the use of genetic engineering.