A gradient-based, GPU-accelerated, high-precision contour-segmentation algorithm with application to cell membrane fluctuation spectroscopy

We present a novel intensity-gradient based algorithm specifically designed for nanometer-segmentation of cell membrane contours obtained with high-resolution optical microscopy combined with high-velocity digital imaging. The algorithm relies on the image oversampling performance and computational...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2018-12, Vol.13 (12), p.e0207376-e0207376
Main Authors: Mell, Michael, Monroy, Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Analysis
Bacteria
Biology and Life Sciences
Cell Membrane - physiology
Cell membranes
Computer applications
Contours
Data processing
Digital imaging
Electronics
Engineering and Technology
Fingerprinting
Flicker
Graphics processing units
Humans
Image processing
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods
Image segmentation
Light microscopy
Mechanics
Medical imaging
Medical imaging equipment
Membranes
Methods
Microscopy
Noise
Novels
Optical microscopy
Oversampling
Physical Sciences
Research and Analysis Methods
Shape
Software
Spatial data
Spectroscopy
Spectrum analysis
Spectrum Analysis - methods
Variation
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Summary:We present a novel intensity-gradient based algorithm specifically designed for nanometer-segmentation of cell membrane contours obtained with high-resolution optical microscopy combined with high-velocity digital imaging. The algorithm relies on the image oversampling performance and computational power of graphical processing units (GPUs). Both, synthetic and experimental data are used to quantify the sub-pixel precision of the algorithm, whose analytic performance results comparatively higher than in previous methods. Results from the synthetic data indicate that the spatial precision of the presented algorithm is only limited by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the contour image. We emphasize on the application of the new algorithm to membrane fluctuations (flickering) in eukaryotic cells, bacteria and giant vesicle models. The method shows promising applicability in several fields of cellular biology and medical imaging for nanometer-precise boundary-determination and mechanical fingerprinting of cellular membranes in optical microscopy images. Our implementation of this high-precision flicker spectroscopy contour tracking algorithm (HiPFSTA) is provided as open-source at www.github.com/michaelmell/hipfsta.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0207376