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Mitosis pp 57–78Cite as

Image-Based Computational Tracking and Analysis of Spindle Protein Dynamics

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1136))

Abstract

The spindle is a highly complex and dynamic molecular machine that is assembled during cell division for accurate segregation of replicated chromosomes. Successful completion of cell division relies on the right spindle proteins to be at the right place at the right time to serve their functions. Quantitative characterization and analysis of spatiotemporal behaviors of spindle proteins are therefore essential to understanding related cell division mechanisms. The main goal of this chapter is to introduce basic concepts and methods for computational tracking and analysis of spindle protein spatiotemporal dynamics that is visualized and recorded in fluorescence microscopy images. An emphasis is placed on providing practical and useful information on related software tools. Examples are used to demonstrate applications of related computational methods and software tools.

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to my colleagues for valuable discussions and inputs. I would like to thank Gaudenz Danuser, Ted Salmon, Tarun Kapoor, Yixian Zheng, and Patricia Wadsworth for sharing their insights into the biology of mitosis. I would also like to thank Yu-li Wang and Jelena Kovacevic for their support. This work is supported in part by NSF grants MCB-1052660 and DBI-1052925 and NSF Faculty Early Career Award DBI-1149494.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering and Lane Center for Computational Biology, Mellon Institute 403, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Ge Yang

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  1. Ge Yang
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Correspondence to Ge Yang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept Physiology Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA

    David J. Sharp

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Yang, G. (2014). Image-Based Computational Tracking and Analysis of Spindle Protein Dynamics. In: Sharp, D. (eds) Mitosis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1136. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0329-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0329-0_5

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-0328-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-0329-0

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