Cryobiology is the study of the effects of low temperatures on organisms. The ability to freeze and thaw organisms
has many advantages including: 1) providing a ?biological backup? that ensures living cells will be available in the
future, and 2) allowing for many identical replications of an experiment using identical cells. In laboratories,
knowing the mechanisms behind natural cryopreservation can help to advance the cryo-technology of whole
organs and possibly whole organism cryopreservation in the future. For example, the wood frog, Rana sylvatica,
has an internal cryoprotective system that allows the frog to survive a frozen state during winter hibernation.
Although there are many practical applications to cryobiology, we will first teach the students how to culture and
cryopreserve cells in the lab. Students culture cells, calculate the concentration of the cell culture, and dilute it to
a desired concentration for freezing. Students learn how to use a hemocytometer and work in a sterile
environment. The practical benefits of properly cryopreserving cells are discussed. In this exercise, we will
investigate the effects of two commonly used cryopreservatives, DMSO and glycerol, in the cryopreservation of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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