Patent ID: 7060445
Filing Date: 2006-06-13
Classification: B01J,B01L,B82Y,C12Q,C40B,G01N,G02B,Y10S

Abstract:
1. An automated method for analyzing distribution of a protein of interest between cell membrane and cell cytoplasm comprising: a) providing an array of locations which contain multiple cells, wherein the cells contain a plurality of fluorescent reporter molecules, wherein the plurality of fluorescent reporter molecules comprise fluorescent reporter molecules that report on cell cytoplasm, fluorescent reporter molecules that report on cell membrane, and fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the protein of interest; b) automatically imaging multiple cells in each of the locations containing cells to obtain fluorescent signals from the plurality of fluorescent reporter molecules on or in individual cells, wherein the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on cell cytoplasm are used to create cell cytoplasmic masks of individual cells and the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on cell membrane are used to create cell membrane masks of individual cells; c) automatically measuring an intensity of the fluorescent signals from the fluorescent reporter molecules that report on the protein of interest in the cell cytoplasmic mask and in the cell membrane mask; and d) automatically calculating one or both of the following: wherein the ratio and/or difference provides a measure of the distribution of the protein of interest between the cytoplasm and the cell membrane in the individual cells.