Ultracold preservation is widely used for storage of genetic stocks of Caenorhabditis elegans. Current cryopreservation protocols are vulnerable to refrigeration failures, which can result in the loss of stock viability due to damage during re-freezing. Here we present a method for preserving worms in a dehydrated and frozen form that retains viability after multiple freeze-thaw cycles. After dehydration in the presence of trehalose or glycerol, C. elegans stocks can be frozen and thawed multiple times while maintaining viability. While both dauer and non-dauer larvae survive desiccation and freezing, the dauer defective mutant daf-16 does not survive desiccation. Our technique is useful for storing stocks in a manner robust to freezer failures, and potentially for shipping strains between laboratories.

超冷保存被广泛用于秀丽隐杆线虫的遗传储备。当前的低温保存方案易受制冷故障的影响，由于重新冷冻期间的损坏，可能导致储存能力丧失。在这里，我们提出了一种以脱水和冷冻形式保存蠕虫的方法，该方法在多次冻融循环后仍保持活力。在海藻糖或甘油存在下脱水后，秀丽隐杆线虫原种可以冷冻并解冻多次，同时保持活力。dauer和非daauer幼虫都可以干燥和冷冻，而dauer有缺陷的突变体daf-16不能在干燥中存活。我们的技术对于以稳定的方式存储库存对于冷冻机故障非常有用，并可能在实验室之间运输压力