LTMaker: a tool for semiautomatic reconstruction of the embryonic lineage tree from 4D-microscopy

Abstract

Studies of animal development using a 4Dmicroscopy system generate an immense amount of image data. In order to properly analyze the recorded embryogenesis, a computer-aided systematic process of categorization of cells from the image data should be accomplished. We present a software tool named LTMaker for the systematic semiautomatic identification of embryonic cells centers and also to determine the underlying linage tree. The program saves the generated data to a file so that further analysis of the embryo can be performed with external tools.