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arXiv · 2309.16498

Coordinates in low-dimensional cell shape-space discriminate migration dynamics from single static cell images

Xiuxiu He·Kuangcai Chen·Ning Fang·Yi Jiang
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Abstract

Cell shape has long been used to discern cell phenotypes and states, but the underlying premise has not been quantitatively tested. Here, we show that a single cell image can be used to discriminate its migration behavior by analyzing a large number of cell migration data in vitro. We analyzed a large number of two-dimensional cell migration images over time and found that the cell shape variation space has only six dimensions, and migration behavior can be determined by the coordinates of a single cell image in this 6-dimensional shape-space. We further show that this is possible because persistent cell migration is characterized by spatial-temporally coordinated protrusion and contraction, and a distribution signature in the shape-space. Our findings provide a quantitative underpinning for using cell morphology to differentiate cell dynamical behavior.

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Xiuxiu He, Kuangcai Chen, Ning Fang, Yi Jiang. 2023-09-28. Coordinates in low-dimensional cell shape-space discriminate migration dynamics from single static cell images. https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.16498

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