Freezing sperm in short straws reduces storage space and allows transport in dry ice

Abstract

Efficient cryopreservation and transportation of mouse sperm are among the most desirable strategies for current and future research on mouse genetics. However, the current method for sperm cryopreservation uses an 11-cm plastic straw, which is a bulky and fragile container. Developing an alternative to overcome the limitations associated with this method would accelerate biomedical research. Here, we developed the ST (sperm-freezing in ShorT STraw to reduce STorage space) method for cryopreserving mouse sperm in short 3.8-cm plastic straws. Up to nine short straws can be stored in a cryotube, reducing storage space. We further show that sperm frozen by the ST method can be transported in liquid nitrogen or dry ice without any detrimental effects on subsequent fertilization and the birth rate. Our findings suggest that this sperm-freezing method is beneficial not only for individual laboratories but also for large-scale mutagenesis/knockout and phenotyping programs.