Where Do CABs Exist? Verification of a specific region containing concave Actin Bundles (CABs) in a 3-Dimensional confocal image

Abstract

CABs (Concave Actin Bundles) are oriented against the scaffold transversally in a manner different from traditional longitudinal F-actin bundles. CABs are present in a specific area, and do not exist in random areas. Biologically, CABs are developed to attach cells to fibers firmly so that CABs are found near cells. Based on this knowledge, we closely examined 3D confocal microcopy images containing fiber scaffolds, actin, and cells. Then, we assumed that the areas containing high values of compactness of fiber, compactness of actin, and density of cells would have many numbers of CABs. In this research, we wanted to prove this assumption. We first incorporated a two-point correlation function to define a measure of compactness. Then, we used the Bayes’ theorem to prove the above assumption. As the assumption, our results verified that CABs exist in an area of high compactness of a fiber network, high compactness of actin distribution, and high density of cells. Thus, we concluded that CABs are developed to attach cells to a fibrillar scaffold firmly. This finding may be further verified mathematically in future studies.