Analysis of the shapes of hemocytes of Callista brevisiphonata in vitro (Bivalvia, Veneridae).

Fractal formalism in conjunction with linear methods of image analysis is suitable for the comparative analysis of such "irregular" shapes (from the point of view of classical Euclidean geometry) as flattened amoeboid cells of invertebrates in vitro. Cell morphology of in vitro spreading hemocytes from the bivalve mollusc Callista brevisiphonata was analyzed using correlation, factor and cluster analysis. Four significantly different cell types were identified on the basis of 36 linear and nonlinear parameters. The analysis confirmed the adequacy of the selected methodology for numerical description of the shape and the adequacy of classification of nonlinear shapes of spread hemocytes belonging to the same species. Investigation has practical significance for the description of the morphology of cultured cells, since cell shape is a result of summation of a number of extracellular and intracellular factors.