Quantifying the Rate, Degree, and Heterogeneity of Morphological Change during an Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Using Digital Holographic Cytometry

Featured Application Digital holographic cytometry applied to EMT. Cells in complex organisms can transition between epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes during both normal and malignant physiological events. These two phenotypes are not binary, but rather describe a spectrum of cell states along an axis. Mammalian cells can undergo dynamic and heterogenous bidirectional interconversions along the epithelial-mesenchymal phenotypic (EMP) spectrum, and such transitions are marked by morphological change. Here, we exploit digital holographic cytometry (DHC) to develop a tractable method for monitoring the degree, kinetics, and heterogeneity of epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypes in adherent mammalian cell populations. First, we demonstrate that the epithelial and mesenchymal states of the same cell line present distinct DHC-derived morphological features. Second, we identify quantitative changes in these features that occur hours after induction of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). We apply this approach to achieve label-free tracking of the degree and the rate of EMP transitions. We conclude that DHC is an efficient method to investigate morphological changes during transitions between epithelial and mesenchymal states.