Utilization of digital image processing to study dynein arms (ATPase) in normal and immotile cilia

Tracheal ciliary cross sections were examined with scanning transmission electron microscopy and the resultant images were digitized for image enhancement. A gray-scale histogram of each ciliary image was produced and manipulated to enhance the image for dynein arms. Tracheal epithelial tissue from the pig, rabbit, and dog, including dogs with immotile cilia syndrome, was examined by using this technique. Tissue from each animal was fixed with each of three different fixatives and sections were evaluated for preservation of dynein arms. The same fixative did not consistently provide optimal fixation for ciliary dynein arms in all three species examined. Each species, therefore, must be evaluated to determine the optimal fixative for preservation of normal ciliary ultrastructure. Digital image processing provides a mechanism for enhancing dynein arms in situ without the need for addition of special stains or the use of techniques such as image summation. With this technique it has been shown that about two-thirds of outer dynein arms are partially or completely missing on cilia from dogs with immotile cilia syndrome.