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PMID: 25719270 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Statistical analysis of cell migration in 3D using the anisotropic persistent random walk model.

Nature protocols ·Vol. 10 ·No. 3 ·2015-03-00 ·Pages 517-27

Wu PH, Giri A, Wirtz D

Abstract

Cell migration through 3D extracellular matrices (ECMs) is crucial to the normal development of tissues and organs and in disease processes, yet adequate analytical tools to characterize 3D migration are lacking. The motility of eukaryotic cells on 2D substrates in the absence of gradients has long been described using persistent random walks (PRWs). Recent work shows that 3D migration is anisotropic and features an exponential mean cell velocity distribution, rendering the PRW model invalid. Here we present a protocol for the analysis of 3D cell motility using the anisotropic PRW model. The software, which is implemented in MATLAB, enables statistical profiling of experimentally observed 2D and 3D cell trajectories, and it extracts the persistence and speed of cells along primary and nonprimary directions and an anisotropic index of migration. Basic computer skills and experience with MATLAB software are recommended for successful use of the protocol. This protocol is highly automated and fast, taking <30 min to analyze trajectory data per biological condition.

MeSH Terms
Anisotropy Cell Movement/physiology Cellular Microenvironment/physiology Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods Models, Biological Stochastic Processes
Authors & Affiliations
3 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Wu Pei-Hsun
1] Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. [2] Johns Hopkins Physical Science Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Giri Anjil
1] Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. [2] Johns Hopkins Physical Science Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Wirtz Denis
1] Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. [2] Johns Hopkins Physical Science Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. [3] Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. [4] Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. [5] Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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Article Info
Journal
Nature protocols
Abbr.
Nat Protoc
ISSN
1750-2799
DOI
10.1038/nprot.2015.030
Published
2015-03-00
Epub
2015-00-26
Pages
517-27
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
101284307
PMCID
PMC4911638
Subset
IM
Grants
NCI NIH HHS · R01 CA174388 · United States
NCI NIH HHS · U54CA143868 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2015.030 PMC Full Text View journal details
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