Acquisition of thermotolerance during development of Blastocladiella emersonii

In the fungus Blastocladiella emersonii the synthesis of heat-shock proteins is developmentally regulated; particular subsets of heat-shock proteins are induced by heat shock during sporulation, germination and growth and some heat shock-related proteins are spontaneously expressed during sporulation (Bonato et al., 1987, Eur. J. Biochem., in press). Nevertheless, acquisition of thermotolerance can be induced at any stage of the life cycle. The development of thermotolerance is correlated with the enhanced synthesis of some heat-shock proteins: hsp 82a, hsp 82b, hsp 76, hsp 70, hsp 60, hsp 25, hsp 17b. Other hsps are not specifically involved in thermotolerance.