Publication details
How to evaluate the cytoskeletal response to the action of ultrasound?
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2004 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Liječnički Vjesnik |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Biophysics |
| Keywords | Ultrasound; cytoskeleton; immunofluorescence; fast Fourier transform; microtubules; image analysis |
| Description | Cytoskeleton changes are usually qualitatively described in vague terms like rarefaction, aggregation etc. An objective method for quantifying cytoskeletal changes was not yet published. We have used HeLa cells cultured in a standard way. Cells were exposed to 1 MHz ultrasound (1 and 2 W.cm-2) for 10 min. The microtubules were detected by a fluorescence microscope by immunofluorescence method. Method of cell structure analysis is based on frequency domain filtering using the discrete Fourier transform. We designed filters enabling extraction of significant information about structural changes of microtubules from micrographs. For comparison purposes we applied further analysis which assesses the degree of damage of microtubules and assigns it a numeric descriptor computed as the ratio of area occupied by microtubules to the total area of the cell. Our mathematical approach was sufficiently sensitive for assessment of microtubular network changes. |
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