The comprehensive reconstruction of cell lineages in complex multicellular organisms is a central goal of developmental biology. We present an open-source computational framework for the segmentation and tracking of cell nuclei with high accuracy and speed.
A spherical harmonics framework for whole-embryo mechanics modeling
We provide the following computer code and programs:
Light-sheet microscopy is a powerful method for imaging the development and function of complex biological systems at high spatiotemporal resolution and over long time scales. Such experiments typically generate terabytes of multidimensional image data, and thus they demand efficient computational solutions for data management, processing, and analysis. We present protocols and software to tackle these steps, focusing on the imaging-based study of animal development.
A vast neural tracing effort by a team of Janelia scientists has upped the number of fully-traced neurons in the mouse brain by a factor of 10. In addition, researchers can now download and browse the data in three dimensions.
Inside the mouse brain, individual neurons zigzag across hemispheres, embroider branching patterns, and, researchers have now discovered, can even spool out spindly fibers up to 45 centimeters long.
Researchers now at Janelia generated over 18,000 driver lines (the VT collection) that exploit the GAL4, LexA, and split-GAL4 systems to express transgenes in distinct and highly specific cell types in Drosophila. In addition, approximately 1,000 of the most useful VT GAL4 lines are available from the Vienna Drosophila Resource Center.
A GRIN lens is a small rod-shaped lens that behaves like a standard lens but has a width of less than 1mm, so it can be inserted into the brain. (1)
Implanted gradient index (grin) lenses are used to make multiphoton microscopy possible through lower cortical and subcortical regions in a mouse. In addition, they can facilitate visualization of measures like calcium transport and be used in repeated imaging for weeks and longer (2).
About the Innovation
Visualization of the axonal structures of individual neurons is critical to understand how neural signals are organized and communicated in the brain. Janelia researchers developed an imaging system for whole-brain, high-resolution fluorescence imaging. They showed that researchers could use it to trace individual axonal fibers and fine axon collaterals across the brain. These can map the long-distance projections of single neurons.
The data presented on the Split-GAL4 collection site are the work of the Janelia FlyLight Project Team, the Descending Interneuron Project Team, and the laboratories of Gerald M.
The data presented on this site are the work of the Janelia FlyLight Project Team and the laboratories of Gerald M. Rubin, James W. Truman, Richard S. Mann, and Christopher Q. Doe.
