Classification of cultured mammalian cells by shape analysis and pattern recognition.

We have developed a method for classifying cultured cells on the basis of shape characteristics. High-resolution optical information on three-dimensional shape was obtained by anodic oxide interferometry. Each interference order formed in a cell was considered as a closed figure; measurement of 37 mathematical descriptors was carried out for each figure. The individual cells were classified according to the values of their descriptors. We used standard principles of pattern recognition, such as hierarchical cluster analysis and nearest neighbor analysis, as a basis for ordering the cells into groups. Alternatively, linear discriminant functions could be used, but they provided only a slight improvement in correct classification of the cells. We anticipate that the method will be appropriate for classification of cultured cell lines and for determination of the magnitude and direction of cell shape changes implicated in various biological processes.