Fungal cryopreservation across 61 genera: Practical application and method evaluation

Fungi occupy important environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic roles. However, biological research of this diverse kingdom has lagged behind that of other phylogenetic groups. This is partially the result of the notorious difficulty in culturing a diverse array of filamentous fungal species due t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mycologia Vol. 116; no. 5; pp. 1 - 876
Main Authors: Zalesky, Travis, Bradshaw, Alexander J, Bair, Zolton J, Meyer, Kyle W, Stamets, Paul
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England 02-09-2024
Subjects:
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Fungi occupy important environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic roles. However, biological research of this diverse kingdom has lagged behind that of other phylogenetic groups. This is partially the result of the notorious difficulty in culturing a diverse array of filamentous fungal species due to their (i) often unpredictable growth, (ii) unknown preferences for culturing conditions, and (iii) long incubation times compared with other microorganisms such as bacteria and yeasts. Given the complexity associated with concurrently culturing diverse fungal species, developing practical methods for preserving as many species as possible for future research is vital. The widely accepted best practice for preserving fungal tissue is the use of cryogenic biobanking at -165 C, allowing for the preservation and documentation of stable genetic lineages, thus enabling long-term diversity-centered research. Despite the extensive literature on fungal cryopreservation, substantial barriers remain for implementation of cryogenic biobanks in smaller mycological laboratories. In this work, we present practical considerations for the establishment of a fungal culture biobank, as well as provide evidence for the viability of 61 fungal genera in cryogenic storage. By providing a pragmatic methodology for cryogenically preserving and managing many filamentous fungi, we show that creating a biobank can be economical for independently owned and operated mycology laboratories, which can serve as a long-term resource for biodiversity, conservation, and strain maintenance.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0027-5514
1557-2536
1557-2536
DOI:10.1080/00275514.2024.2363135