Work

Glycerol improves the viability of a cryopreserved choanoflagellate

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The colonial choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta is a tractable model system for studying the origins of multicellularity, but long-term storage strategies for this species have not been tested. In this study, we probed each stage of cryopreservation (cooling, long-term storage, recovery) to identify the optimal protocol for recovery of S. rosetta and co-cultured bacterial cells. Dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO; commonly referred to as DMSO), the current cryoprotective agent (CPA) standard, proved to be worse than glycerol at comparable concentrations. Samples treated with either CPA at 5 % showed the poorest recovery. Our results identified 15 % glycerol as the most effective CPA for both S. rosetta and Echinicola pacifica. We also determined that ultra-low temperature freezers can be sufficient for short-term storage. We propose 15 % glycerol and liquid phase nitrogen as the standard cryopreservation protocol for S. rosetta cultures and as a starting point for testing long-term storage strategies for other choanoflagellates and heterotrophic protists.

Source: Cryobiology

DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2024.105183

Authors: Sheel Chandra, Florentine U. Rutaganira

Institutions: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Protist diversity and phylogeny

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,670

Funder: Howard Hughes Medical Institute