Sperm Cryopreservation
Sperm Cryopreservation
Sperm cryopreservation is an alternative approach to preserve or reconstitute a mouse line to embryo cryopreservation. TCF has successfully set up the sperm cryopreservation platform according to the improved protocol from Kumamoto University (Takeo and Nakagata, Biology of Reproduction 85, 1066 (2011).
TCF will retrieve motile spermatozoa in cryo-protectant from epididymis of fertile male mice. The sperms in cryo-protectant will be further collected in cryo-straws and freezed in liquid nitrogen. For sperm cryopreservation, 2 fertile males are generally sufficient to cryopreserve a strain. We recommend that the client supply proven breeders between 3 and 8 months of age. For subsequent QC of cryopreserved sperm, user may choose either “thaw test” or “IVF test” to understand the quality of cryopreserved sperm. For more details, please consult Dr. Ching-Yen Tsai.
Table 1. Comparison of embryo and sperm cryopreservation
Biological material being frozen |
Embryos |
Sperm |
Number of mice typically needed for freezing |
~30 (10 females and 20 males - the males can be re-used) |
2 males |
Number of sessions needed per strain |
2 or more, on average |
Usually 1 |
Cost to freeze |
High |
Low |
Cost to reconstitute live mice |
Low |
High |
Time needed for freezing |
1-2 weeks |
1 day |
Time needed for reconstitution |
6-7 weeks |
6-7 weeks |
Potential number of offspring from a typical cryopreserved strain |
Dozen |
hundreds |