The storage disaccharide, trehalose, is accumulated in yeast during a temperature shift from 30 to 45°C. The response peaks at 90 min and is transient since levels of trehalose decline rapidly in cells returned to 30°C. Storage of trehalose is inhibited when cells are incubated in the presence of acridine orange or ethidium bromide prior to and during temperature shift, suggesting a requirement for de novo RNA synthesis. Accumulation of trehalose occurs when cells are exposed to either ethanol, copper sulphate or hydrogen peroxide at 30°C, indicating that the phenomenon may be a general response to physiological stress. Parallels are drawn between the trehalose accumulation response and the heat shock response in yeast.
