X-Message-Number: 9384 Date: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 16:32:44 +0800 From: Robert Horley <> Subject: Pre-Freezing Protocol Hi: In the latest edition of "New Scientist" there was an article about a new protocol being used to prepare pig embryos for reversable freezing. It seems from the article that the cells in a pig embryo are more (differentiated) than those in most other animals and freezing usually irreversibly damages them. The villians were apparently the microfilaments that help cells to keep their shape. The solution was to perfuse the cells with cytochalasin, which broke down the microfilaments into simpler structures which weren't damaged on freezing. On thawing, the cells are able to rebuild these simpler structures into the correct microfilaments once more. Is anyone using a similar protocol in their experiments with freezing and thawing fully differentiated organisms? Sincerely Robert Horley Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=9384