Optimal joint segmentation and tracking of escherichia coli in the mother machine

TitleOptimal joint segmentation and tracking of escherichia coli in the mother machine
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsJug, F, Pietzsch, T, Kainmüller, D, Funke, J, Kaiser, M, van Nimwegen, E, Rother, C, Myers, G
JournalLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume8677
Pagination25–36
ISSN16113349
Abstract

We introduce a graphical model for the joint segmentation and tracking of E. coli cells from time lapse videos. In our setup cells are grown in narrow columns (growth channels) in a so-called “Mother Machine” [1]. In these growth channels, cells are vertically aligned, grow and divide over time, and eventually leave the channel at the top. The model is built on a large set of cell segmentation hypotheses for each video frame that we extract from data using a novel parametric max-flow variation. Possible tracking assignments between segments across time, including cell identity mapping, cell division, and cell exit events are enumerated. Each such assignment is represented as a binary decision variable with unary costs based on image and object features of the involved segments. We find a cost-minimal and consistent solution by solving an integer linear program. We introduce a new and important type of constraint that ensures that cells exit the Mother Machine in the correct order. Our method finds a globally optimal tracking solution with an accuracy of > 95% (1.22 times the inter-observer error) and is on average 2 − 11 times faster than the microscope produces the raw data.

DOI10.1007/978-3-319-12289-2_3
Citation KeyJug2014