The effect of cryopreservation on DNA damage, gene expression and protein abundance in vertebrate

Cryopreservation techniques allow the long-term storage of a wide variety of biological materials without significant deterioration in quality. Immediate post-thaw survival is most often used to assess the effect of the freeze-thaw process on cells. However, this parameter provides no information on possible subtle effects of cryopreservation, including DNA damage, and alteration of mRNA levels and protein function that may not be evident immediately post thaw. These potential adverse effects do not necessarily result in cell death. While there are many comprehensive reviews of gamete and embryo cryopreservation in vertebrate species, we review here the publications relating to the impact of cryopreservation on the genome of sperm, embryos and oocytes.