Detection and Quantification of Nuclear Morphology Changes in Apoptotic Cells by Fluorescence Microscopy and Subsequent Analysis of Visualized Fluorescent Signals

Abstract

We present a computerized method for apoptosis detection and quantification using images of fluorescent dye-stained cell nuclei. The advantages of this nuclear morphology assay include the (i) ability to routinely assess apoptosis by a fast, highly reproducible low-cost technique, (ii) applicability of an experimental approach analyzing high numbers of single nuclei and (iii) detection of apoptosis in early, as well as late, stages of the apoptotic cascade.