X-Message-Number: 10668
Date: Sat, 31 Oct 1998 16:13:07 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: freeze-dried tissue stability

Authors
  Takahashi R.  Matsuo S.  Okuyama T.  Sugiyama T.
Institution
  Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Japan.
Title
  Degradation of macromolecules during preservation of lyophilized pathological
  tissues.
Source
  Pathology, Research & Practice.  191(5):420-6, 1995 Jun.
Abstract
  Methods of preserving biological specimens are becoming more important due to
  recent advances in molecular biological analysis. Storing samples in a
  freezer, however, is still the most commonly used method of
  preserving pathological specimens. We investigated the feasibility of using
  freeze-dried tissues stored at room temperature as an
  alternative method of preserving tissue samples for molecular analysis at the
  DNA, RNA, and protein levels. The freeze-dried tissues were
  transferred to a sealed vial filled with nitrogen gas and kept for months at
  room temperature. DNA and protein were stably preserved for at least 24
  weeks. RNA, however, showed slight degradation after 10 weeks of storage.
  Controlling moisture and temperature during long-term storage was found to be
  important, as it significantly affected the stability of these cellular
  molecules in tissues. Shelf-stable preservation eliminates the need for
  storage in a freezer and allows convenient shipping of
  samples to distant places. These findings should provide practical basis for
  the development of a convenient and economical way of preserving pathological
  specimens for a variety of analyses in the field of molecular biology.

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