Heat shock and heat stroke proteins observed during germination of the blastoconidia of Candida albicans.

Cytoplasmic proteins extracted from germinating yeast cells of Candida albicans were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis. Similar extracts from a recently isolated nongerminating variant were compared with those from the parent. Five proteins (18, 22, 40, 68, and 70 kilodaltons [kd]) behaved as heat-shock proteins in that they appeared or were greatly increased in amount within 20 min of a temperature shift from 23 to 37 degrees C. Three of the five (40, 68, and 70 kd) were undetected in cells incubated at 23 degrees C, appeared within 20 min of temperature shift, and were no longer detected after 120 min at 37 degrees C, whereas two of the five (18 and 22 kd) were present in small amounts at 23 degrees C, increased greatly after shift, and persisted for 120 min at the elevated temperature. Two temperature-repressed (heat-stroke) proteins (30 and 88 kd) were also observed. The same heat-shock and heat-stroke proteins were also found in the nongerminating variant. The differences in proteins expressed by blastoconidia and by germlings appeared to be related to the heat-shock response.