Post-embryonic Developmental Expression Chronograms (PDECs)

A very recent software modification to the Union Biometrica BIOSORT nematode sorter system now permits recording of fluorescence intensity along the length of the worm as it passes through the optical chamber. The output is in essence a 1-dimensional (long axis) image of the 3-dimensional animal. Entire populations of worms can be passed through the sorter in a short time, and all the larvae in mixed-stage culture are profiled individually. This instrument is therefore now a unique system for high-throughput medium-resolution imaging of gene expression in thousands of animals. We have developed software to automatically sort the resulting random collection of traces into a 2D image (PDEC) that neatly represents the expression timecourse of GFP during post-embryonic development.