title: New robust algorithm for tracking cells in videos of Drosophila morphogenesis based on finding an ideal path in segmented spatio-temporal cellular structures.
abstract: In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for tracking cells in time lapse confocal microscopy movie of a Drosophila epithelial tissue during pupal morphogenesis. We consider a 2D + time video as a 3D static image, where frames are stacked atop each other, and using a spatio-temporal segmentation algorithm we obtain information about spatio-temporal 3D tubes representing evolutions of cells. The main idea for tracking is the usage of two distance functions--first one from the cells in the initial frame and second one from segmented boundaries. We track the cells backwards in time. The first distance function attracts the subsequently constructed cell trajectories to the cells in the initial frame and the second one forces them to be close to centerlines of the segmented tubular structures. This makes our tracking algorithm robust against noise and missing spatio-temporal boundaries. This approach can be generalized to a 3D + time video analysis, where spatio-temporal tubes are 4D objects.
authors.affiliation: UMR 3215, U934, Institut CURIE, 26 rue d’Ulm, 75248 Paris Cedex 05, France. fyohanns.bellaiche@curie.fr
authors.forename: Yohanns
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bellaïche
authors.forename: Floris
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bosveld
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Graner
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mikula
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Remesíková
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smísek
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018715:Microscopy, Video / Q000379:methods*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013997:Time Factors; D014741:Video Recording / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins