Emerging roles of molecular chaperones in plant innate immunity

Molecular chaperones and co-chaperones are proteins that aid in the folding and assembly of other macromolecular structures or complexes. Although growing evidence suggests that molecular chaperones and co-chaperones play critical roles in plant innate immunity, the molecular mechanism of how these proteins contribute to defense signaling remains largely unknown. In this review, we highlight the cytoplasmic chaperones, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident lectin chaperones, and enzymes that have been identified from genetic and omic approaches and shown to be involved in plant microbe interactions. We also discuss the roles of molecular chaperones in plant innate immunity and emerging mechanisms underlying the biogenesis of plant pathogen-associated molecular pattern receptors in the ER.