Quantitative microscopy uncovers ploidy changes during mitosis in live embryos and their effect on nuclear size.

Time-lapse microscopy is a powerful tool to investigate cellular and developmental dynamics. In , it can be used to study division cycles in embryogenesis. To obtain quantitative information from 3D time-lapse data and track proliferating nuclei from the syncytial stage until gastrulation, we developed an image analysis pipeline consisting of nuclear segmentation, tracking, annotation and quantification.

The study of muscle remodeling in Drosophila metamorphosis using in vivo microscopy and bioimage informatics.

Background: Metamorphosis in insects transforms the larval into an adult body plan and comprises the destruction and remodeling of larval and the generation of adult tissues. The remodeling of larval into adult muscles promises to be a genetic model for human atrophy since it is associated with dramatic alteration in cell size. Furthermore, muscle development is amenable to 3D in vivo microscopy at high cellular resolution.

Three-dimensional segmentation of nuclei and mitotic chromosomes for the study of cell divisions in live Drosophila embryos.

Drosophila embryogenesis is an established model to investigate mechanisms and genes related to cell divisions in an intact multicellular organism. Progression through the cell cycle phases can be monitored in vivo using fluorescently labeled fusion proteins and time-lapse microscopy. To measure cellular properties in microscopic images, accurate and fast image segmentation methods are a critical prerequisite.