example, most dinoflagellates, some cyanobacteria, and most cryptophytes, with no clear patterns on how to cryopreserve specific
groups having been reported. While cryopreservation has been
used for freshwater and marine microalgae for decades, macroalgae
have only more recently been added to culture collections and
therefore represent a new challenge in the field, with several reports
of successful cryopreservation in recent years.
Biobanking of marine biological resources is crucial for development of basic scientific knowledge but also for research and
development, for example, to discover new biomolecules or processes. Most of these applications rely on guaranteed access to
reliable, stable resources. Culture collections ensure long-term ex
situ storage of biological resources that are made available for
public and private sector research and education. Culture collections play a key role in the provision of marine biological resources,
notably by providing information on taxonomic identity, provenance, culture conditions, and sometimes also biological characteristics. In Europe, there are several large algal culture collections, for
both marine and freshwater algae, including the Culture Collection
of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP) (UK), Sammlung von Algenkulturen Go ¨ttingen (SAG) (Germany), the Roscoff Culture Collection
(RCC) (France), and the Banco Espan ˜ol de Algas (BEA) (Spain).
Outside Europe, the main collections include the National Center
for Marine Algae and Microbiota (NCMA) (USA), the Culture
Collection of Algae at the University of Texas at Austin (UTEX)
(USA), the NIES Microbial Culture Collection (Japan), and the
Australian National Algae Culture Collection (ANACC)
(Australia). The majority of these culture collections now implement efforts to cryopreserve their culture holdings, with examples
of the methods that are applied given below.
2 Materials
1. General laboratory equipment: laminar flow cabinet and appropriate facilities for following sterile microbiological practice.
2. Freezers and cooling equipment: either a passive freezing
device (e.g., “Mr. Frosty” from Fisher Bioblock that uses isopropyl alcohol and holds 18 tubes or “CoolCell Lx” from
BioCision that does not require alcohol) or a controlled rate
freezer (suppliers include Planer UK, CryoLogic, AU,
GRANT, Fisher Bioblock) (see Note 1). Large capacity (several
hundred liters) liquid nitrogen cryogenic tanks are generally
used for storing samples (either in the liquid or in the vapor
phase) (see Note 2) and a small liquid nitrogen Dewar (4–10 L)
for transporting/distributing liquid nitrogen during the freezing protocol.
608
Estefania Paredes et al.
groups having been reported. While cryopreservation has been
used for freshwater and marine microalgae for decades, macroalgae
have only more recently been added to culture collections and
therefore represent a new challenge in the field, with several reports
of successful cryopreservation in recent years.
Biobanking of marine biological resources is crucial for development of basic scientific knowledge but also for research and
development, for example, to discover new biomolecules or processes. Most of these applications rely on guaranteed access to
reliable, stable resources. Culture collections ensure long-term ex
situ storage of biological resources that are made available for
public and private sector research and education. Culture collections play a key role in the provision of marine biological resources,
notably by providing information on taxonomic identity, provenance, culture conditions, and sometimes also biological characteristics. In Europe, there are several large algal culture collections, for
both marine and freshwater algae, including the Culture Collection
of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP) (UK), Sammlung von Algenkulturen Go ¨ttingen (SAG) (Germany), the Roscoff Culture Collection
(RCC) (France), and the Banco Espan ˜ol de Algas (BEA) (Spain).
Outside Europe, the main collections include the National Center
for Marine Algae and Microbiota (NCMA) (USA), the Culture
Collection of Algae at the University of Texas at Austin (UTEX)
(USA), the NIES Microbial Culture Collection (Japan), and the
Australian National Algae Culture Collection (ANACC)
(Australia). The majority of these culture collections now implement efforts to cryopreserve their culture holdings, with examples
of the methods that are applied given below.
2 Materials
1. General laboratory equipment: laminar flow cabinet and appropriate facilities for following sterile microbiological practice.
2. Freezers and cooling equipment: either a passive freezing
device (e.g., “Mr. Frosty” from Fisher Bioblock that uses isopropyl alcohol and holds 18 tubes or “CoolCell Lx” from
BioCision that does not require alcohol) or a controlled rate
freezer (suppliers include Planer UK, CryoLogic, AU,
GRANT, Fisher Bioblock) (see Note 1). Large capacity (several
hundred liters) liquid nitrogen cryogenic tanks are generally
used for storing samples (either in the liquid or in the vapor
phase) (see Note 2) and a small liquid nitrogen Dewar (4–10 L)
for transporting/distributing liquid nitrogen during the freezing protocol.
608
Estefania Paredes et al.