3. What is Cryopreservation ?
Viable freezing of biological material and their
subsequent storage at ultra low temperatures (-150 to
-196° C) in liquid nitrogen
Represents safe and cost-effective option for long-term
conservation of germplasm
4. Science of cryobiology initiated since mid 20th century
Cryopreservation - Utilized earlier for creating gene
banks of animal sperms, embryos,
cells and micro organisms
Sakai (1960)- Successful cryopreservation of woody plant
i.e. winter-hardy mulberry ( Morus spp.)
Quatrano (1968)- Cell suspensions
Nag and Street (1973) -Somatic embryos
5. Biological, biochemical and physiological activities stopped due to less
temperature then, plant materials could be stored for unlimited years
Principle- removal of all freezable water from tissues by physical or
osmotic dehydration, followed by ultra-rapid freezing
Goal of cryopreservation - Replace some of the water with other
compounds (Cryoprotectants) that will not form intracellular ice crystals
when frozen i.e., protects cellular integrity of cell
Zero-metabolism rate - Ultra lower temperature (-196 °C)
6. Types of tissue preserved under cryopreservation
• Seeds and pollen
• Zygotic embryos / embryonic axes
• Embryonic cell suspensions
• Somatic embryos
• Meristem / shoot tip cultures etc.
7. Materials used
• Liquid nitrogen is most widely used material for cryopreservation
• Dry ice ( Solid carbon dioxide) can also be used
Why liquid nitrogen ?
• Chemically inert
• Relatively having low cost
• Non-toxic
• Nonflammable
• Readily available
8. Methods of cryopreservation
1. Conventional method
Addition of an appropriate cryo protectant
Subjection of culture to super low temperatures
Storage of frozen culture in liquid nitrogen
Thawing
Removal of cryoprotectant by washing
Viability Determination
Reculture
Induction of growth and plant regeneration
9. 2. Recently Developed or Modified Methods
A. Vitrification
Physical process of transition of an aqueous
solution into an amorphous and glassy state
or
Process in which ice formation cannot take place
because aqueous solution is too concentrated to
permit ice crystals nucleation. Instead, water
solidifies into an amorphous ‘glassy’ state
10. • Avoids most damaging event i.e. formation of intercellular ice
crystals during cryopreservation
• Cells are dehydrated by treatment in a highly concentrated
solution such as PVS2 (Plant Vitrification Solution) solution
(Sakai et al., 1990)
12. B. Encapsulation-dehydration
• Method first reported by Fabre and Dereuddre (1990) using shoot apices
of potato
• This involves encapsulation of tissues in Calcium / Sodium alginate beads
which are pre-grown in liquid culture media containing high concentration
of sucrose
• After these treatments tissues are able to withstand exposure to liquid
nitrogen without application of chemical cryoprotectants
14. C. Droplet vitrification
Technique- modification of basic vitrification protocol
Involves placing the sample within a droplet of 1-10 µl
cryoprotective solution on a piece of aluminum foil before
immersion in liquid nitrogen
Approach achieves higher cooling and re-warming rates,
as small volume of liquid allows higher rate of heat
transfer to and from sample (Sakai & Engelmann, 2007)
17. 1. Plant material selection
Explant’s morphological and physiological condition influences
ability to survive during cryopreservation
Considerable factors
Tissue selection- from healthy plants
Small , young , rich in cytoplasm and meristematic cells- Can
survive better than larger and highly vacuolated cells
Callus- freezing damage resistant
Cell or tissue should contain low water content for cryopreservation
then only tissues withstand extreme low temperatures
18. 2. Pre-growth
Protect plant tissues against exposure to liquid nitrogen
Involves application of additives (Abscisic acid , Proline , Trehalose etc.)
to
enhance plant stress tolerance
Partial tissue dehydration achieved by application of osmotically active
compounds
19. 3. Freezing
Three types
1. Rapid / Fast freezing
Employed for shoot tip cryopreservation- Potato , Strawberry ,
Brassica species etc.
Material placed in vials/tubes and plunged into liquid nitrogen
Temperature reduction from -300 to -1000°C/min or more occurs
• Prevents growing of big ice crystals
20. 2. Slow freezing
Successfully employed for meristem
cryopreservation- Peas, Potato, Cassava,
Strawberry etc.
Tissue slowly frozen with decrease in
temperature from -0.1 to -10° C/min
Permits water flow from cells to outside-
thereby promotes extracellular ice
formation instead of lethal intracellular
freezing
22. 3. Step-wise freezing
• Give excellent results with suspension cultures
• Slow freezing down to -20 to 40OC
• A stop for period of approximately 30 minutes then
• Additional rapid freezing to -196OC done by
plunging in liquid nitrogen
• Slow freezing permits protective dehydration of the
cells
23. 4. Addition of cryoprotectants
Cryoprotectant- Substance used to protect biological tissue from
freezing
damage (i.e. damage due to ice crystal formation)
Acts like antifreeze
Lowers freezing temperature
Increases viscosity
Prevents cell damage
24. Potential sources of cell damage during cryopreservation
1. Large ice crystal formation inside the cell
2. Intracellular concentration of solutes increase to toxic levels before or
during freezing as a result of dehydration
Various cryoprotectants used are :-
Glycerol
Dimethyl Sulphoxide (DMSO)
Sugars
Mannitol
Sorbitol
Propylene Glycol (PEG) etc.
25. Dimethyl Sulphoxide (DMSO)
An organosulfur compound with formula (CH3 )2 SO
An excellent cryo-protectant
Features
Non-toxic
Easily permeable
Low molecular weight
Easily washable from the cells
Freezes within 18.5°C (typical property)
Below room temperature transformed into solids
Usage concentration- 5 to 10 %
26. 5. Thawing
Done by putting ampoule/tube containing
frozen tips of sample in warm water bath (35
to 40°c) with vigorous swirling action
Tubes should not be left in warm water bath
after ice melts for survival of tissue
Tissues frozen by encapsulation/dehydration
is frequently thawed at ambient temperature
At point of thawing- quick transfer of tubes to
water bath maintained at room temperature,
continue swirling action for 15 sec to cool the
warm walls of tube
27. 6. Storage
Storage of frozen material at correct temperature is as important as
freezing
Frozen cells/tissues kept for storage at temperature ranging from
-70 to -196°c
Low temperature for longer period- To stop all metabolic activities
and prevent biochemical injury
Best done at -196°C
28. 7. Survival / Viability determination
Regrowth of plants from stored tissues or cells is only test of plant material
survival
Viability tests
Fluorescein diacetate (FDA) staining
Growth measurement by cell number
Dry and fresh weight
Staining of immature pollen at the “late” stage with
fluorescein diacetate (FDA) for cell viability (A and B)
29. Staining methods
1. Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC)
Cell survival measured by amount of red formazan product formed due to
reduction of TTC assay which is measured spectrometrically
Only viable cells which contain enzyme dehydrogenase reduces
TTC to red formazan will be stained
Dead cells will not take up the dye/stain
2. Evan’s blue staining
One drop of 0.1% solution Evan’s blue added to cell suspension on a
microscope slide and observed under light microscope
Only non viable cells (dead cells) stain with Evan’s blue
31. Merits
• Organ/cell Preservation
• In molecular biology
• Cryosurgery
• Blood transfusion
• Artificial insemination
• In-vitro fertilization
• Recently in identifying
unknown transmissible disease
or pathogen.
• Bone marrow transplantation
• Pollen preservation- Quality
seed production
32. Gene bank
Type of biorepository which preserve genetic
material
Used to store and conserve plant genetic
resources of major crop plants and their wild
relatives
This could be by freezing plant cuts or seed
stocking
Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway)- famous
gene banks of world
33. India's doomsday vault in frozen Himalayas
Located at Chang-La
of Ladhak in western
Himalayas
Located at New Delhi
34. Seed bank
It stores seeds as a source for planting in case
seed reserves destroyed
A type of gene bank
Seeds stored may be food crops, or rare
species to protect biodiversity
Seeds are dried to a moisture content of less
than 5 % and stored in freezers at -18°C or
below
Because seed (DNA) degrades with time-
Seeds need to be periodically replanted ; fresh
seeds collected for long-term storage
35. Demerits
• At −196°C in liquid nitrogen, cell stops metabolizing leads to
unavoidable side effects
• Slow genetic changes within biological cells associated with lipids
and proteins, could disfigure integrity of cells
• Cryoprotective agents could damage chromosome stability of cells
• Cryoprotectant makes cell susceptible towards infections
• Cost action like “CRYOPLANT” could make difference
36. Applications
1. Genetic material conservation
• Endangered plant species could be conserved
• Used to store wide range of tissues- meristems, anthers/pollens
and embryos
2. Freeze storage of cell cultures and sub-culturing
• Cryopreservation- an ideal approach to suppress cell division
which avoids periodical sub culturing
37. 3. Maintenance of disease free stock
Pathogen free stocks of rare plant material could be frozen and
propagated when needed
4. Cold acclimatization and frost resistance
Cryopreserved tissue culture provide suitable material for
selection of cold resistant mutant cell lines
This could later differentiate into frost resistance plants
5. Cryo selection
Selection through freezing of samples with special properties
38. 6. Cryotherapy
Elimination of viruses from infected plants through apex
cryopreservation
7. Genetic stability maintenance
Ultra low temperature stops metabolic deterioration
during storage of tissues and seeds.
Extends longevity by which genetic stability can be
maintained
8. Require less space and energy inputs
Method relies on liquid nitrogen in self contained tanks
Independent from refrigeration or constant electricity
supply
41. Made an effort to preserve pollen of hot pepper under
normal room temperature (25 𝒐C), refrigeration (-20o C) and
cryopreservation (-196o C), which can be used to direct supply
of pollen, instead of bud to longer distances
They selected flower buds when they were minimum 4-6.5 mm
in length (bud stage-III) as described by Erickson and
Markhart
They concentrated mainly on study of pollen viability and its
germination
42. Fig. 1 Effect of storage time on pollen germination Fig. 2 Effect of storage time on fruit set
Fig. 3 Effect of storage time on seed set Fig. 4 Effect of storage time on seed germination
44. Inference
Pollen stored under ultra low temperatures can be
used for pollination without affecting seed
germination
Helps in reducing the cost of seed production and
ensure germplasm security
Pollen storage facilitates crop breeding, genetic
conservation and artificial pollination
46. Investigated pollen viability of three polleniser mango cultivars,
viz. ‘Sensation’, ‘Tommy Atkins’ and ‘Janardan Pasand’
Stored up to 24 weeks under four storage conditions (room
temperature, −4 ◦C, −20 ◦C and −196 ◦
C)
Pollen viability confirmed by, in-vitro germination, fluorescein
diacetate (FDA) and acteocarmine tests
Room temperature storage of pollen showed very low pollen
viability
Cryo-stored (−196 ◦C) pollens showed significantly higher
viability compared to other storage conditions
47. Pollen viability of three polliniser mango cultivars stored at room
temperature ,−4 ◦C, −20 ◦C and −196 ◦C, by in-vitro germination test
48. Pollen viability of three polliniser mango cultivars stored at room temperature ,−4
◦C, −20 ◦C and −196 ◦C, by fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and acteocarmine tests
49. Inference
Study revealed −196 ◦C cryo-storage of mango pollen
could be best
Efficient conservation of genetic resources could
be achieved
Pollens might be used for commercial fruit production
and breeding
51. Aim- To study the effect of V. tricolor seed stored in liquid nitrogen
on germination
• V. tricolor is an outstanding vandaceous orchid found on rocks or
trees, native to East Java
• Used solid New Dogashima (ND) medium supplemented with
Benzyladenine, Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 2% sucrose as
growing medium
• Mature seeds- harvested 7 months after self-pollination, were
directly plunged into liquid nitrogen
52. • Immature seeds- harvested 6 months after self-pollination
• Treated with or without loading solution (LS) i.e. glycerol and
sucrose
• Dehydrated with PVS2 (Plant Vitrification Solution)
• Lastly cryo-preserved by vitrification
53. Effect of seed cryopreservation by vitrification on the germination of non-
cryopreserved seeds (-LN) and cryopreserved seeds (+LN) of V. tricolor after 90 days
of sowing
54. Germination of cryopreserved mature seeds of V. tricolor after cryopreservation
by directly plunging into liquid nitrogen. (a) 15 days, (b) 20 days, (c) and (d) 28
days of sowing
55. Germination of non-cryopreserved and cryopreserved seeds (6 months old) and development of protocorms
of V. tricolor after cryopreservation by vitrification
Germination of (a) non-cryopreserved seeds:- Its protocorms development (b) and (c) after 150 days
Germination of (d) cryopreserved seeds after 120 days of sowing :- Its protocorms development (e) and (f)
after 180 days
56. Inference
Study showed liquid nitrogen induced germination
of mature seeds of Vanda tricolor
The LS treatment was very efficient in inducing
dehydration and freezing tolerance in tissues
Liquid nitrogen did not affect growth and development
of protocorms from cryopreserved seeds when
compared with non-cryopreserved seeds
58. • Studied response of isolated embryonic axes of five maize
genotypes using plant vitrification solution (PVS2) at different
concentrations ( 50 %, 100 % and 150 % )
• Embryonic axes were aseptically excised from surface sterilized
seeds
• Embryo axes of elite maize genotypes were used as explants
material
• The embryonic axes were pre-cultured for three (3) days on
Murashige and Skoog (MS) with 0.7 M sucrose
• They were then transferred to the different levels of plant
vitrification solution (PVS2) for 30min
59. Effect of plant vitrification solution (PVS2) treatment
on takeoff, survival and recovery of maize embryo
61. Inference
Results-cryopreservation protocol by vitrification
has potential for improving conservation of maize
germplasm
Using either 50% or 100% PVS2 is ideal for
cryopreservation of maize germplasm
63. They used organic solvent Cyclohexane for pollen
collection
Successfully adopted cryopreservation method for
storing of pollens of mango and litchi crops up to four
years
There by, sufficient quantity of pollen could be used for
large scale pollination in these two crops
Transport of pollen in viable conditions over long
distances was successfully devised
Stored pollens showed high percentage viability
64. In vitro germinated litchi pollen after 4 years cryostorage of different
cultivars: A- CHES-6; B- Chaina, C- Kasba
65. Inference
Use of organic solvent (Cyclohexane) for pollen collection
proved improved
Large amounts of pollen are needed for pollination, viability
testing, storage and future distributions
66. Conclusion
oMany plant species successfully cryopreserved through
development of various cryopreservation methods
oCryopreserved plants found to be genetically stable in most of the
cases
oPollen stored under ultra low temperatures used for pollination
without affecting pollen germination
oHelps in reducing the cost of seed production and ensure
germplasm security
oSuccessfully used in artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization,
in molecular biology study and most recently in identifying
unknown transmissible disease or pathogen
Editor's Notes
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EM-Establishment medium calcium chloride (aqueous)+sodium alginate=Calcium alginate
Sodium Alginate is a natural polysaccharide product extracted from brown seaweed that grows in cold water regions.
Vaccination type.. All india tour
Blooming period of mango- from February and lasts up to March under north Indian conditions,
Take off;- 7th day ; counting number of embryos ;sign of growth
Survival :-14th day