Molecular Chaperone Functions in Plant Stress Responses

Plants rely on a sophisticated network of molecular chaperones—such as Hsp70 and Hsp40 (DnaJ) proteins and their co-chaperones—to preserve proteome integrity under environmental extremes. These factors recognise and bind non-native polypeptides, preventing aggregation and facilitating correct folding or refolding after stress. In heat, drought, salinity and oxidative challenges, chaperone systems cooperate with stress-responsive signalling pathways—particularly abscisic acid (ABA) and heat-shock transcription factors (HSFs)—to modulate stomatal aperture, photosynthetic efficiency and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. Chloroplast-targeted chaperones play vital roles in stabilising photosystem II under high light or heat, while endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial chaperones influence hormone signalling and energy balance. Understanding these conserved mechanisms is essential for breeding or engineering crops with enhanced resilience and for developing management strategies to sustain agricultural productivity under climate change.

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Molecular Chaperone Functions in Plant Stress Responses publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in molecular chaperone functions in plant stress responses across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Molecular chaperone: A protein that assists the folding, assembly or stabilisation of other proteins without being part of the final structure.

Hsp70: A highly conserved heat-shock protein that binds nascent or unfolded polypeptides to prevent aggregation and facilitate correct folding.

DnaJ (Hsp40): A co-chaperone that stimulates the ATPase activity of Hsp70 and targets it to specific substrates.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules derived from oxygen that can damage cellular components under stress.

Abscisic acid (ABA): A plant hormone that regulates stomatal closure and gene expression in response to drought and other stresses.

Photosystem II (PSII): A chloroplast-embedded complex that captures light energy and initiates water splitting during photosynthesis.

Thermotolerance: The ability of an organism or cell to withstand elevated temperatures without sustaining irreversible damage.

References

1. Ectopic expression of DnaJ type-I protein homolog of Vigna aconitifolia (VaDJI) confers ABA insensitivity and multiple stress tolerance in transgenic tobacco plants. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023).
2. Novel DnaJ Protein Facilitates Thermotolerance of Transgenic Tomatoes. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2019).
3. Genome-wide analysis of the rice J-protein family: identification, genomic organization, and expression profiles under multiple stresses. 3 Biotech (2019).