title: System for combined three-dimensional morphological and molecular analysis of thick tissue specimens.
abstract: We present a new system for simultaneous morphological and molecular analysis of thick tissue samples. The system is composed of a computer-assisted microscope and a JAVA-based image display, analysis, and visualization program that allows acquisition, annotation, meaningful storage, three-dimensional reconstruction, and analysis of structures of interest in thick sectioned tissue specimens. We describe the system in detail and illustrate its use by imaging, reconstructing, and analyzing two complete tissue blocks that were differently processed and stained. One block was obtained from a ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) lumpectomy specimen and stained alternatively with Hematoxilyn and Eosin (H&E), and with a counterstain and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to the ERB-B2 gene. The second block contained a fully sectioned mammary gland of a mouse, stained for histology with H&E. We show how the system greatly reduces the amount of interaction required for the acquisition and analysis and is, therefore, suitable for studies that require morphologically driven, wide-scale (e.g., whole gland) analysis of complex tissue samples or cultures.
authors.affiliation: Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Gonzalez
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia-Rodriguez
authors.forename: Ping Yuan
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Idica
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lockett
authors.forename: Mary Helen
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Barcellos-Hoff
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ortiz-De-Solorzano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008838:Microcomputers; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface
chemical_list: D015513:Oncogene Proteins