page_title: Cryopreservation
section_title: Moss
hierarchical_section_title: Cryopreservation / Freezable tissues / Moss
caption_attribution_description: English: Four different ecotypes of Physcomitrella patens stored at the IMSC. (Scale bars: 1mm)
context_page_description: Cryo-preservation or cryo-conservation is a process where organelles, cells, tissues, extracellular matrix, organs, or any other biological constructs susceptible to damage caused by unregulated chemical kinetics are preserved by cooling to very low temperatures. At low enough temperatures, any enzymatic or chemical activity which might cause damage to the biological material in question is effectively stopped. Cryopreservation methods seek to reach low temperatures without causing additional damage caused by the formation of ice crystals during freezing. Traditional cryopreservation has relied on coating the material to be frozen with a class of molecules termed cryoprotectants. New methods are being investigated due to the inherent toxicity of many cryoprotectants. Cryoconservation of animal genetic resources is done with the intention of conservation of the breed.
context_section_description: Cryopreservation of whole moss plants, especially Physcomitrella patens, has been developed by Ralf Reski and coworkers and is performed at the International Moss Stock Center. This biobank collects, preserves, and distributes moss mutants and moss ecotypes.
caption: Four different ecotypes of Physcomitrella patens stored at the IMSC.
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