Regensburg 2019 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 6: Poster I
BP 6.57: Poster
Montag, 1. April 2019, 17:30–19:30, Poster B2
Automated tracing algorithm for scanning electron microscopy images of the actin cortex — •Moritz Schu1,2, Daniel Flormann2, and Franziska Lautenschläger2 — 1Saarland University — 2INM-Leibniz Institute for New Materials
The actin cortex is a thin layer of actin, myosin, and actin-binding proteins that supports the membrane of animal cells. It defines cell shape and plays a fundamental role in cell motility. Several researchers have already imaged the actin cortex using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after removing the membrane with detergents. In their works the SEM images have been compared mostly qualitatively. Quantitative fibre image analysis tools already exist, but are not well adapted for SEM images of the actin cortex. This leaves only the possibility for manual image analysis that is prone to bias and cumbersome. Therefore, we developed an automated vectorial fibre tracing algorithm based on the Hessian of Gaussian convolution, that is applicable to SEM images and allows extraction of useful parameters such as mesh hole size and relative angle distribution. The algorithm has been tested on SEM images of the actin cortex of retinal pigmented epithelial cells (RPE-1) and is likely applicable to a wide range of image types. This method is well suited to highlight differences between cell types or conditions and is adaptable to any fibre system.