Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The association between neighborhood context, allostatic load, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatosis liver disease in Mexican-origin farmworkers along the Southern Arizona US/Mexico border.

SSM - population health·2025
Same author

Transcriptome profiling of symptomatic vs. asymptomatic grapevine plants reveals candidate genes for plant improvement against trunk diseases.

BMC plant biology·2025
Same author

Modeling the spatial resolution of magnetic solitons in magnetic force microscopy and the effect on their sizes.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Achievement of Target Gain Larger than Unity in an Inertial Fusion Experiment.

Physical review letters·2024
Same author

Unintended intrapleural insertion of an epidural catheter in thoracic surgery: regional analgesia game over, or is there another way out?

Revista espanola de anestesiologia y reanimacion·2022
Same author

Lawson Criterion for Ignition Exceeded in an Inertial Fusion Experiment.

Physical review letters·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Evaporation-reducing Culture Condition Increases the Reproducibility of Multicellular Spheroid Formation in Microtiter Plates
11:24

Evaporation-reducing Culture Condition Increases the Reproducibility of Multicellular Spheroid Formation in Microtiter Plates

Published on: March 7, 2017

7.3K

Optimising adjacent membrane segmentation and parameterisation in multicellular aggregates by piecewise active

J Jara-Wilde1,2, I Castro2,3, C G Lemus2,3

  • 1Departamento de Ciencias de la Computación, FCFM, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Journal of Microscopy
|March 7, 2020
PubMed
Summary

A new algorithm, ALPACA, precisely segments adjacent cell membranes in microscopy images. This method accurately quantifies membrane zones, improving cell morphology analysis in developmental biology.

Keywords:
Active contoursadjacent membranescell adhesionfluorescence microscopyimage processingsegmentation

More Related Videos

Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
09:56

Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging

Published on: April 30, 2019

6.9K
Single-Molecule Tracking Microscopy - A Tool for Determining the Diffusive States of Cytosolic Molecules
10:20

Single-Molecule Tracking Microscopy - A Tool for Determining the Diffusive States of Cytosolic Molecules

Published on: September 5, 2019

8.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Evaporation-reducing Culture Condition Increases the Reproducibility of Multicellular Spheroid Formation in Microtiter Plates
11:24

Evaporation-reducing Culture Condition Increases the Reproducibility of Multicellular Spheroid Formation in Microtiter Plates

Published on: March 7, 2017

7.3K
Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
09:56

Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging

Published on: April 30, 2019

6.9K
Single-Molecule Tracking Microscopy - A Tool for Determining the Diffusive States of Cytosolic Molecules
10:20

Single-Molecule Tracking Microscopy - A Tool for Determining the Diffusive States of Cytosolic Molecules

Published on: September 5, 2019

8.7K

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Image Analysis

Background:

  • Accurate segmentation of adjacent cell membranes in fluorescence microscopy is challenging due to thin membrane structures and limited signal intensity.
  • Existing computational methods often struggle with the precise detection of closely apposed or overlapping membranes, especially in dynamic in vivo samples.
  • Membrane protrusions and trafficking further complicate signal patterns, hindering accurate localization of membrane sheets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce ALPACA (ALgorithm for Piecewise Adjacent Contour Adjustment), a novel computational method for precise segmentation of adjacent cell membranes.
  • To enable accurate quantification of adjacent, nonadjacent, and overlapping membrane contour sections.
  • To preserve inherent cell morphology during segmentation, particularly in complex multicellular and in vivo imaging scenarios.

Main Methods:

  • Development of ALPACA, a method based on 2D piecewise parametric active contours.
  • Implementation of a proximity definition for adjacent contours and optimization of shared contours.
  • Integration of solutions for connecting contour sections while preserving cell morphology.

Main Results:

  • ALPACA precisely quantifies adjacent and nonadjacent membrane zones in both regular hexagonal structures and live zebrafish embryo cell imaging.
  • The algorithm effectively detects and corrects adjacent, nonadjacent, and overlapping contour sections within a defined adjacency distance.
  • Piecewise active contour solutions preserve contour shape and overall cell morphology, demonstrating robustness in complex biological samples.

Conclusions:

  • ALPACA offers a significant advancement in the precise segmentation and quantification of adjacent cell membranes.
  • The method enhances image analysis for developmental biology, particularly in live imaging of cellular structures.
  • ALPACA has the potential to improve downstream analyses such as 3D surface meshing and contour tracking in microscopy studies.