Survival of Suspension-cultured Sycamore Cells Cooled to the Temperature of Liquid Nitrogen

Suspension-cultured cells of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) which were immersed in liquid nitrogen after prefreezing to the temperatures from -30 to -50 C in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide and glucose as cryoprotective additive could proliferate vigorously when rewarmed rapidly in water at 40 C. For maintaining high viability of the cells after immersion in liquid nitrogen, it seems to be essential to use the cells at the later lag phase or the early cell division phase. This study provides a possibility for long term preservation in liquid nitrogen of plant-cultured lines.