Thiuram (Bis(dimethyldithiocarbamoyl) disulfide), a kind of disinfectant, affected growth and induced lethality as a chemical stressor in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Examining the protein profiles by SDS-PAGE and western blotting analysis, yeast cells which were incubated with thiuram for 90 min at 30 degrees C induced a number of proteins including hsp104, hsp90 and hsp70 according to the concentrations. Using the Delta hsp104 and its parent strain, thermotolerance with the prior 10 mg/l thiuram treatment in the parent strain was greater than that in the control at 20 min, but that in the Delta hsp104 strain was almost the same as the control over the long term. Trehalose was not accumulated by thiuram. Thus, it follows that hsp104, which is typically induced by moderate heat-shock treatment, is mostly induced in the presence of thiuram also. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd