title: Segmentation and morphometric analysis of cells from fluorescence microscopy images of cytoskeletons.
abstract: We developed a method to reconstruct cell geometry from confocal fluorescence microscopy images of the cytoskeleton. In the method, region growing was implemented twice. First, it was applied to the extracellular regions to differentiate them from intracellular noncytoskeletal regions, which both appear black in fluorescence microscopy imagery, and then to cell regions for cell identification. Analysis of morphological parameters revealed significant changes in cell shape associated with cytoskeleton disruption, which offered insight into the mechanical role of the cytoskeleton in maintaining cell shape. The proposed segmentation method is promising for investigations on cell morphological changes with respect to internal cytoskeletal structures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama 701-0192, Japan. ujihara@med.kawasaki-m.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ujihara
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wada
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000818:Animals; D048430:Cell Shape; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003078:Colchicine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019295:Computational Biology; D015638:Cytochalasin D / Q000494:pharmacology; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017847:Patellar Ligament / Q000166:cytology; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D015638:Cytochalasin D; D003078:Colchicine