Dehydrated Caenorhabditis elegans stocks are resistant to multiple freeze-thaw cycles

ABSTRACT Ultracold preservation is widely used for storage of genetic stocks of Caenorhabditis elegans. Current cryopreservation protocols are vulnerable to refrigeration failures, which can result in the loss of stock viability due to damage during re-freezing. Here we present a method for preservi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inbioRxiv
Main Authors Mcclanahan, Patrick D, Mccloskey, Richard J, Melanie Ng Tung Hing, Raizen, David M, Fang-Yen, Christopher
Format Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published Cold Spring Harbor Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 01.10.2020
Subjects
Caenorhabditis elegans
Cryopreservation
Dehydration
Desiccation
Forkhead protein
Freeze-thawing
Glycerol
Nematodes
Refrigeration
Trehalose
Viability
Worms
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:ABSTRACT Ultracold preservation is widely used for storage of genetic stocks of Caenorhabditis elegans. Current cryopreservation protocols are vulnerable to refrigeration failures, which can result in the loss of stock viability due to damage during re-freezing. Here we present a method for preserving worms in a dehydrated and frozen form that retains viability after multiple freeze/thaw cycles. After dehydration in the presence of trehalose or glycerol, C. elegans stocks can be frozen and thawed multiple times while maintaining viability. While both dauer and non-dauer larvae survive desiccation and freezing, the dauer defective mutant daf-16 does not survive desiccation. Our technique is useful for storing stocks in a manner robust to freezer failures, and potentially for shipping strains between laboratories. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Footnotes * Various minor changes
DOI:10.1101/2020.07.27.223560