Computer aided 3D localization of Chromosome 1 within nuclei of human sperm cells

Conventional cellular and histological analyses are generally based on planar images. New preparation techniques in the field of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization demand a more sophisticated analytical approach. Our method to detect irregularities in the number of chromosomes present in interphase nuclei of normal and neoplastic cells and to characterize aberrations in the structure of these chromosomes makes use of a combination of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and 3-D imaging. In this paper we describe a computer-assisted setup designed to localize in situ hybridized chromosome 1 of human sperm cells. In order to synthesize a 3-D image of the structures of interest, the stack of slice images generated by the CLSM is processed appropriately with the aid of a parallel distributed computer architecture based on transputers. The resulting images or particular aspects thereof are visualized on a high resolution display and related to new information in reproductive biology.