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Cryopreservation of Pyramimonas mucifera
1School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. 707773@students.wits.ac.za.
Background:
It is important to appreciate microalgal diversity, better understand their ecosystem functioning and therefore implement conservation measures. The National Biodiversity Act of South Africa has a marine and coastal component which promotes such investigations.
Objective:
To develop a cryostorage method for the marine unicellular algal species Pyramimonas mucifera.
Materials And Methods:
Cell viability, measured by propidium iodide, was used to determine both optimal exposure time to 10 % DMSO and survival following thawing of cryopreserved cells. Cryopreservation was achieved by a two-step cooling method.
Results And Discussion:
A 30-min DMSO exposure was selected for P. mucifera, as cells following such treatment retained cell shape and integrity. Although density was significantly reduced after cryopreservation, the surviving cells were capable of returning to viability levels equal to those of the untreated control (> 90%).
Conclusion:
Cultures of P. mucifera can be successfully cryopreserved and propidium iodide provides a useful indication of culture vitality.
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