KOKORO-Biology Group, Laboratories for Integrated Biology, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Bioresource Center, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
J Reprod Dev. 2021 Jun 21;67(3):235-239. doi: 10.1262/jrd.2021-019. Epub 2021 Apr 14.
Saving space for sperm cryopreservation would aid mouse genetics research. We previously developed the ST (sperm freezing in ShorT STraw to reduce STorage space) method for cryopreserving mouse sperm in a smaller storage space than conventional methods. However, our ST method has two drawbacks: difficulties during freeze-thaw procedures and the potential risk of sperm loss during storage. Here, we refine ST, terming the new method improved ST (iST). In iST, the straw has an air-permeable filter and the straw container (2-ml cryotube) is endowed with air vents. As in our ST method, iST frozen-thawed sperm showed good performance upon in vitro fertilization. Moreover, up to nine straws can be stored in one cryotube, occupying less storage space than conventional methods. This method provides an easy and space-saving cryopreservation method for mouse sperm, and thus will be valuable for mouse genetics researchers.
节约精子冷冻保存空间有助于小鼠遗传学研究。我们之前开发了 ST（短 straw中精子冷冻以减少储存空间）方法，可将小鼠精子在比传统方法更小的储存空间中冷冻保存。然而，我们的 ST 方法有两个缺点：在冷冻和解冻过程中存在困难，以及在储存过程中精子丢失的潜在风险。在这里，我们对 ST 进行了改进，将新方法命名为改进的 ST（iST）。在 iST 中，吸管具有透气过滤器，吸管容器（2 毫升低温管）具有通风口。与我们的 ST 方法一样，iST 冷冻解冻后的精子在体外受精中表现良好。此外，一根低温管中可以储存多达 9 根吸管，比传统方法占用的储存空间更少。该方法为小鼠精子提供了一种简便且节省空间的冷冻保存方法，因此对小鼠遗传学研究人员将具有重要价值。
