Growth and storage of YAC clones in Hogness Freezing Medium

To date, frozen storage of YAC libraries have relied on the administration of glycerol to the medium subsequent to cell growth. By adding Hogness Freezing Medium prior to inoculation, cultures can be frozen directly after cell growth, with no adverse effect on the stability of the YAC DNA or on the viability of the cells even after repeated freezing and defrosting. Although a relatively simple modification, the procedure notably improves the handling of YAC libraries and significantly reduces the risk of contamination, especially when dealing with large numbers of clones.