Semi‐automatic stitching of filamentous structures in image stacks from serial‐section electron tomography

• Published in: Journal of microscopy (Oxford) 2021-10, Vol.284 (1), p.25-44
• Main Authors: Lindow, Norbert, Brünig, Florian N., Dercksen, Vincent J., Fabig, Gunar, Kiewisz, Robert, Redemann, Stefanie, Müller‐Reichert, Thomas, Prohaska, Steffen, Baum, Daniel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amira; automatic segmentation; Biological properties; Biologists; Boundaries; Cell division; Computer programs; Data collection; Electron Microscope Tomography; electron tomography; Electrons; Error correction; Feedback loops; filamentous structures; Filaments; Histological Techniques; Image acquisition; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Image reconstruction; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Inspection; Iterative methods; Matching; Meiosis; Microtubules; Physical work; Quality assessment; Quality control; Scientists; serial sectioning; Software; Software development tools; Spindle Apparatus; Spindles; Stacks; stitching; Three dimensional models; Time response; Tomography; Tomography - instrumentation; Tracing
• ISSN: 0022-2720; 1365-2818
• DOI: 10.1111/jmi.13039

We present a software‐assisted workflow for the alignment and matching of filamentous structures across a three‐dimensional (3D) stack of serial images. This is achieved by combining automatic methods, visual validation, and interactive correction. After the computation of an initial automatic matching, the user can continuously improve the result by interactively correcting landmarks or matches of filaments. Supported by a visual quality assessment of regions that have been already inspected, this allows a trade‐off between quality and manual labour. The software tool was developed in an interdisciplinary collaboration between computer scientists and cell biologists to investigate cell division by quantitative 3D analysis of microtubules (MTs) in both mitotic and meiotic spindles. For this, each spindle is cut into a series of semi‐thick physical sections, of which electron tomograms are acquired. The serial tomograms are then stitched and non‐rigidly aligned to allow tracing and connecting of MTs across tomogram boundaries. In practice, automatic stitching alone provides only an incomplete solution, because large physical distortions and a low signal‐to‐noise ratio often cause experimental difficulties. To derive 3D models of spindles despite dealing with imperfect data related to sample preparation and subsequent data collection, semi‐automatic validation and correction is required to remove stitching mistakes. However, due to the large number of MTs in spindles (up to 30k) and their resulting dense spatial arrangement, a naive inspection of each MT is too time‐consuming. Furthermore, an interactive visualisation of the full image stack is hampered by the size of the data (up to 100 GB). Here, we present a specialised, interactive, semi‐automatic solution that considers all requirements for large‐scale stitching of filamentous structures in serial‐section image stacks. To the best of our knowledge, it is the only currently available tool which is able to process data of the type and size presented here. The key to our solution is a careful design of the visualisation and interaction tools for each processing step to guarantee real‐time response, and an optimised workflow that efficiently guides the user through datasets. The final solution presented here is the result of an iterative process with tight feedback loops between the involved computer scientists and cell biologists. Lay description Electron tomography of biological samples is used for a thre