Cryoprotectants and components induce plasmolytic responses in sweet potato (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ipomoea batatas</Emphasis> (L.) Lam.) suspension cells

Plant genebanks often use cryopreservation to securely conserve clonally propagated collections. Shoot tip cryopreservation procedures may employ vitrification techniques whereby highly concentrated solutions remove cellular water and prevent ice crystallization, ensuring survival after liquid nitrogen exposure. Vitrification solutions can be comprised of a combination of components that are either membrane permeable or membrane impermeable within the timeframe and conditions of cryoprotectant exposure. In this study, the osmotic responses of sweet potato Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] suspension cell cultures were observed after treatment with plant vitrification solution 2 PVS2; 15% (v/v) dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 15% (v/v) ethylene glycol, 30% (v/v) glycerol, 0.4 M sucrose], plant vitrification solution 3 (PVS3; 50% (v/v) glycerol, 50% (w/v) sucrose), and their components at 25 and 0°C, as well as cryoprotectant solution, PGD (10% (w/v) PEG 8000, 10% (w/v) glucose, 10% (v/v) DMSO) at 25°C. At either 25 or 0°C, sweet potato cells plasmolyzed after exposure to PVS2, PVS3, and PGD solutions as well as the PVS2 and PVS3 solution components. Cells deplasmolyzed when the plasma membrane was permeable to the solutes and when water re-entered to maintain the chemical potential. Sweet potato suspension cells deplasmolyzed in the presence of 15% (v/v) DMSO or 15% (v/v) ethylene glycol. Sweet potato plasma membranes were more permeable to DMSO and ethylene glycol at 25°C than at 0°C. Neither sucrose nor glycerol solutions showed evidence of deplasmolysis after 3 h, suggesting low to no membrane permeability of these components in the timeframes studied. Thus, vitrification solution PVS2 includes components that are more membrane permeable than PVS3, suggesting that the two vitrification solutions may have different cryoprotectant functions. PGD includes DMSO, a permeable component, and likely has a different mode of action due to its use in two-step cooling procedures.