Cryopreservation of Plant Cell Suspensions
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The cryopreservation of dedifferentiated cells, grown in suspension culture, is one of the portfolio of techniques employed
for the long-term conservation of higher plant germplasm. Suspension cultures are also important in biotechnology, particularly
in transformation studies and for the production of specific metabolites, and, here, there is also a pressing need for genetically
stable, long-term storage of cell lines.
Cryopreservation of suspension cell cultures can be exploited by either slow, or rapid, cooling techniques. During slow cooling
the extracellular solutions are nucleated and the cells cryodehydrate during controlled cooling as a consequence of extracellular
ice, to the point where their intracellular fluids will vitrify on subsequent transfer to liquid nitrogen. In the rapid cooling
protocols, the cells are prepared by extreme osmotic dehydration, with cryoprotection, before plunging the samples directly
into liquid nitrogen to achieve vitrification. Extensive success has been achieved with both techniques but rapid cooling
is, currently, widely favored because of its simplicity.
