An automated quantitative image analysis tool for the identification of microtubule patterns in plants

High throughput confocal imaging poses challenges in the computational image analysis of complex subcellular structures such as the microtubule cytoskeleton. Here, we developed CellArchitect, an automated image analysis tool that quantifies changes to subcellular patterns illustrated by microtubule markers in plants. We screened microtubule‐targeted herbicides and demonstrate that high throughput confocal imaging with integrated image analysis by CellArchitect can distinguish effects induced by the known herbicides indaziflam and trifluralin. The same platform was used to examine six other compounds with herbicidal activity, and at least three different effects induced by these compounds were profiled. We further show that CellArchitect can detect subcellular patterns tagged by actin and endoplasmic reticulum markers. Thus, the platform developed here can be used to automate image analysis of complex subcellular patterns for purposes such as herbicide discovery and mode of action characterisation. The capacity to use this tool to quantitatively characterise cellular responses lends itself to application across many areas of biology.

Synopsis
CellArchitect is an automated image analysis tool that quantifies changes to complex, network‐like subcellular patterns such as the microtubule cytoskeleton in plants. This tool performs analyses from large image datasets and can distinguish effects induced by different chemicals, which lends itself to identification and characteriza...

Source: Traffic - July 26, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Christine Faulkner, Ji Zhou, Alexandre Evrard, Gildas Bourdais, Dan MacLean, Heidrun H äweker, Peter Eckes, Silke Robatzek Tags: TOOLBOX Source Type: research