Freeze Preservation of Cultured Plant Cells

A basic technique for successful freeze preservation and storage at -196°C of cultured plant cells and an assay of percentage survival following the freezing-storage-thawing procedure are described. These techniques have been applied to suspension cultures of carrot (3 cell lines), belladonna and sycamore. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and glycerol, when appropriately applied, were the most effective cryoprotectants tested. Although these cryoprotectants were of low toxicity and did not cause alterations in the cytology and growth potential of the recovered cells, the cell lines differed in their sensitivity to the toxicity of these cryoprotectants. Small meristematic cells survived the freezing-thawing procedure better than larger more highly vacuolated cells. Specific differences in survival are in part explained in terms of differences in cell morphology.