Germplasm cryobanking in zebrafish and other aquarium model species

Abstract

During the last few years zebrafish and other aquarium fish have become more important model system species. In zebrafish valuable biotechnological lines are constantly emerging, and the creation of cryobanks of viable fish sperm, oocytes, and embryos from those lines is a constant and important demand. Cryopreservation is an essential tool for storing specific genetic material and would significantly help in the conservation of such lines, facilitating daily procedures in labs and companies working with this species. In this review, all advances achieved in this field are presented. Protocols for sperm cryopreservation are described, and the new directions of approaches in embryo and oocyte cryopreservation and also in blastomeres, and primordial germ cell cryopreservation are discussed.