Open AccessAutomated Tracking of Cell Migration with Rapid Data Analysis
Author(s) -
DuChez Brian J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
current protocols in cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.149
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1934-2616
pISSN - 1934-2500
DOI - 10.1002/cpcb.28
Subject(s) - tracking (education) , computer science , graphical user interface , task (project management) , interface (matter) , computer vision , displacement (psychology) , artificial intelligence , real time computing , human–computer interaction , engineering , operating system , psychology , pedagogy , systems engineering , bubble , maximum bubble pressure method , psychotherapist
Cell migration is essential for many biological processes including development, wound healing, and metastasis. However, studying cell migration often requires the time‐consuming and labor‐intensive task of manually tracking cells. To accelerate the task of obtaining coordinate positions of migrating cells, we have developed a graphical user interface (GUI) capable of automating the tracking of fluorescently labeled nuclei. This GUI provides an intuitive user interface that makes automated tracking accessible to researchers with no image‐processing experience or familiarity with particle‐tracking approaches. Using this GUI, users can interactively determine a minimum of four parameters to identify fluorescently labeled cells and automate acquisition of cell trajectories. Additional features allow for batch processing of numerous time‐lapse images, curation of unwanted tracks, and subsequent statistical analysis of tracked cells. Statistical outputs allow users to evaluate migratory phenotypes, including cell speed, distance, displacement, and persistence, as well as measures of directional movement, such as forward migration index (FMI) and angular displacement. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.