title: Automated segmentation of electron tomograms for a quantitative description of actin filament networks.
abstract: Cryo-electron tomography allows to visualize individual actin filaments and to describe the three-dimensional organization of actin networks in the context of unperturbed cellular environments. For a quantitative characterization of actin filament networks, the tomograms must be segmented in a reproducible manner. Here, we describe an automated procedure for the segmentation of actin filaments, which combines template matching with a new tracing algorithm. The result is a set of lines, each one representing the central line of a filament. As demonstrated with cryo-tomograms of cellular actin networks, these line sets can be used to characterize filament networks in terms of filament length, orientation, density, stiffness (persistence length), or the occurrence of branching points.
authors: Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Department of Structural Biology, Am Klopferspitz 18, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany. rigort@biochem.mpg.de
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Rigort
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Günther
authors: Reiner
authors: R
authors: Hegerl
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Baum
authors: Britta
authors: B
authors: Weber
authors: Steffen
authors: S
authors: Prohaska
authors: Ohad
authors: O
authors: Medalia
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Baumeister
authors: Hans-Christian
authors: HC
authors: Hege
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D004023:Dictyostelium / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D055032:Electron Microscope Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D004583:Electrons; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D051381:Rats