Heat shock induces peroxidase activity in Neurospora crassa and confers tolerance toward oxidative stress.

Heat shock treatment of 14-h-old Neurospora crassa mycelium, for 1 h at 48 degrees C, led to the induction of high levels of peroxidase (EC. 1.11.1.7) activity. No significant change was observed in the superoxide dismutase content. Colonies formed by plating conidial suspensions on sorbose-medium also exhibited high peroxidase activity following exposure to hyperthermia and were found to be resistant to normally toxic doses of H2O2. Thus one of the heat shock proteins of N. crassa has the function of protection against oxidative stress.