Laboratory of Biophysics, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
NPJ Syst Biol Appl. 2024 Nov 6;10(1):129. doi: 10.1038/s41540-024-00459-w.
Understanding the dynamic states and transitions of heterogeneous cell populations is crucial for addressing fundamental biological questions. High-content imaging provides rich datasets, but it remains increasingly difficult to integrate and annotate high-dimensional and time-resolved datasets to profile heterogeneous cell population dynamics in different microenvironments. Using hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) LX-2 as model, we proposed a novel analytical strategy for image-based integration and annotation to profile dynamics of heterogeneous cell populations in 2D/3D microenvironments. High-dimensional features were extracted from extensive image datasets, and cellular states were identified based on feature profiles. Time-series clustering revealed distinct temporal patterns of cell shape and actin cytoskeleton reorganization. We found LX-2 showed more complex membrane dynamics and contractile systems with an M-shaped actin compactness trend in 3D culture, while they displayed rapid spreading in early 2D culture. This image-based integration and annotation strategy enhances our understanding of HSCs heterogeneity and dynamics in complex extracellular microenvironments.
理解异质细胞群体的动态状态和转变对于解决基本的生物学问题至关重要。高内涵成像提供了丰富的数据集，但越来越难以整合和注释高维的、时变的数据集，以描绘不同微环境中异质细胞群体的动态。我们以肝星状细胞（HSCs）LX-2 为模型，提出了一种新的基于图像的分析策略，用于整合和注释 2D/3D 微环境中异质细胞群体的动力学。从广泛的图像数据集中提取高维特征，并根据特征分布来识别细胞状态。时间序列聚类揭示了细胞形状和肌动蛋白细胞骨架重排的不同时间模式。我们发现，LX-2 在 3D 培养中表现出更复杂的膜动力学和收缩系统，具有 M 形肌动蛋白致密趋势，而在早期 2D 培养中则表现出快速扩散。这种基于图像的整合和注释策略增强了我们对 HSCs 在复杂细胞外微环境中的异质性和动力学的理解。
