Revealing chiral cell motility by 3D Riesz transform-differential interference contrast microscopy and computational kinematic analysis.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29259161.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-017-02193-w and PMC identifier 5736583.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Left-right asymmetry is a fundamental feature of body plans, but its formation mechanisms and roles in functional lateralization remain unclear. Accumulating evidence suggests that left-right asymmetry originates in the cellular chirality. However, cell chirality has not yet been quantitatively investigated, mainly due to the absence of appropriate methods. Here we combine 3D Riesz transform-differential interference contrast (RT-DIC) microscopy and computational kinematic analysis to characterize chiral cellular morphology and motility. We reveal that filopodia of neuronal growth cones exhibit 3D left-helical motion with retraction and right-screw rotation. We next apply the methods to amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum and discover right-handed clockwise cell migration on a 2D substrate and right-screw rotation of subcellular protrusions along the radial axis in a 3D substrate. Thus, RT-DIC microscopy and the computational kinematic analysis are useful and versatile tools to reveal the mechanisms of left-right asymmetry formation and the emergence of lateralized functions.
Medical subject headings
- Cell Movement
- Growth Cones
- Imaging, Three-Dimensional
- Microscopy, Interference
- Pseudopodia