Automated Segmentation of the First Mitotic Spindle in Differential Interference Contrast Microcopy Images of C. elegans Embryos

Abstract

Differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy is a non-fluorescent microscopy technique that is commonly used to visualize the first mitotic spindle in C. elegans embryos. DIC movies are easy to acquire and provide data with high spatial and temporal resolution, allowing detailed investigations of the dynamics of the spindle—which elongates, oscillates, and is positioned asymmetrically. Despite the immense amount of information such movies provide, they are normally only used to draw qualitative conclusion based on manual inspection. We have developed an algorithm to automatically segment the mitotic spindle in DIC movies of C. elegans embryos, determine the position of centrosomes, quantify the morphology and motions of the spindle, and track these features over time. This method should be widely useful for studying the first mitotic spindle in C. elegans.