A Python-based image analysis tool to segment and quantify the morphology, interactions, and distribution of organelles.
- aims to create a reproducible pipeline to segment (or "infer") and quantify the size, shape, interaction, and subcellular distribution of multiple intracellular organelles from confocal microscopy 🔬 images.
- is modular 🔢 to support a variety of organelle-focused research questions.
- can be applied broadly to many types of in vitro 🧫 and in vivo models 🐁🧬 to better understand the spatial coordination and interactome of organelles during key biological processes or disease.
infer-subc and the companion segmentation plugin organelle-segmenter-plugin for Napari are available via PyPI. Install the packages as follows:
pip install infer-subc
pip install organelle-segmenter-plugin
We recommend installing and using these packages in a Python environment (e.g., conda). A list of setup steps are included in env_create.sh.
Cloning infer-subc is necessary if you are going to do any of the following:
- Run segmentation or quantification using the provided
sample data - If you want to modify the underlying code for specific use cases
To clone this repository, use your terminal navigate to the location on your computer where you want the clone of repository to be downloaded. Then run:
git clone https://github.com/SCohenLab/infer-subc.git
We have used the following file formats as input in both the Napari plugin and the Jupyter notebooks during development and testing of
infer-subc:
- Multi-channel ".tiff"/".tif" or ".czi" files
- 3D (Z-stack) images
- Ideal dimension order: CZYX
infer-subcPart 1 - Segmentation Workflows will output segmentation files as follows:
- Single channel ".tiff" files
- Subcellular regions will initially be exported from batch processing as multi-channel files
- See the
quality_check_segmentationsfor information on how to separate these into single channels- The original file name will be included as the stem of the file name and a unique suffix will be appended to the end of each segmentation to signify the organelle or subcellular structure that was segmented
- Organelle segmentation (except the ER which is always considered one object) will contain instance segmentations where each identified object if given a unique ID number
- Subcellular regions ('cell', 'nucleus', 'soma', 'neurites') and the ER will only include a single labeled object per output image. In the case of the ER or neurites, where there can commonly be several disconnected component, each identified component is given the same ID number and quantified as a single object.
These segmentations will act the part of the input for quantification in
infer-subcPart 2 - Organelle Quantification. If using an alternative segmentation approach, the above listed format should be followed.
infer-subcPart 2 - Organelle Quantification will use the following files as part of the input:
- Multi-channel intensity images from which the segmentations were derived
- Single-channel ".tiff" organelle and subcellular region (if applicable) segmentation files
Additional information related to the desired quantification methods is also required. See the Part 2 notebooks for more information on specifics.
infer-subcPart 2 - Organelle Quantification includes two rounds of quantitafication:
- Quatitative feature extraction - intensity and segmentation images are used as the input and tabular data is output. The expectation is that this should be run per experimental replicate
- Per image (or subcellular region) summarization - quantitative data is input and summarized per image or subregion (if a mask if used). Multiple experimental replicates of data can be combined together in this step to summarize all data that will be statistically compared.
The output files in both cases have the following format:
- One ".csv" file per quantification method (e.g., morphology, distribution, etc.)
- Each output file will begin with a unique identifier specified by the user. For each dataset, this will include a "dataset_name", and for the summarization of all the data, a "out_prefix" used to specify differences between rounds of data processing, if more than one is necessary.
We recommend use of the following file structure:
- Data for each experimental replicate should be saved in a separate folder.
- Within each experimental replicate folder:
- There should be one folder containing the raw data. This data is what was used to derive the segmentation files and will be used to quantify intensity metrics during quantitatative analysis.
- All segmentation files should be saved in one folder for quantitative analysis. This folder would ideally be within the same parent folder as the raw data it was derived from. We also highly recommend saving the workflow settings .json files or the batch_process_segmentation Jupyter notebook that was used to produce segmentaiton within this folder. This ensures the segmentation methods are easily identifiable in the future.
- If modifications to the original segmentation files are necessary, you will likely have several versions of the segmentation outputs. These should be included as separate folders each with unique names.
- More details on this are included in the
quality_check_segmentationsnotebook.- A separate folder should be included for quantification output table for this experimental replicate. This folder would ideal be within the same parent folder as the raw data and segmentation files it was derived from. We also highly recommend saving the quantification notebooks used to generate the quantitative data within this folder. This ensures the segmentation methods are easily identifiable in the future.
- If edits were made to segmentations or the quantification settings that result in new quantitative output, include the new analysis as a separate folder.
- The final summary table can be save outside of the individual experimental folders as it will contain information about multiple replicates.
An example file structure:
- 📂 experiment_1
- 📂 raw_data
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1.czi
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1.czi
- 📜 ...
- 📂 segmentation_data
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-cell.tif
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-nuc.tiff
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-lyso.tiff
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-mito.tiff
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-golgi.tif
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-perox.tiff
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-ER.tiff
- 📜 date_condition1_cell1-LD.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-cell.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-nuc.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-lyso.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-mito.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-golgi.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-perox.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-ER.tiff
- 📜 date_condition2_cell1-LD.tiff
- 📓 batch_process_segmentations.ipynb
- 📜 ...
- 📂 quantification_output
- 📜 datasetname-organelle_morphology_metrics.csv
- 📓 2.1_organelle_morphology.ipynb
- 📂 experiment_2
- 📂 raw_data
- 📂 segmentation_data
- 📂 quantification_output
- 📜 datasetname-per_org_morphology_summarystats.csv
NOTE: Proceed to the Organelle Quantification section below if you have already created instance segmentations of organelles and/or subcellular regions you plan to include in quantification.
The starting point for the infer-subc analysis pipeline is to perform instance segmentation on multichannel confocal microscopy images, where each channel labels a different intracellular organelle (or structure). In the infer-subc segmentation workflows included in Part 1, each organelle will be segmented from a single intensity channel from the input microscopy image.
Subcellular regions of interest, including the cell mask, nucleus, soma, and neurites, can be segemented to include region-specific quantitative analysis in Part 2 (see more below).
LysosomesMitochondriaGolgiPeroxisomesEndoplasmic reticulumLipid dropletsCell/NucleusSoma/NeuritesAlternative segmentation methods can also be used to incorporate additional organelles or subcellular regions, if desired.
We recommend our infer-subc implementation for Napari called organelle-segmenter-plugin for image segmentation. This allows users to optimize segmentation settings for each organelle/subcellula region systematically, then batch process the segmentation of all organelles and subcellular regions simultaneously. Alternatively, you can utilize the Jupyter Notebooks that include the same segmentation workflows and batch processing capabilities. These notebooks are also a great source of information on each workflow step, and they can act as a starting point for those who wish to modify the workflows to better suite their images. Read on to learn how to get started with these approaches.
Segmentation Instructions - Option A: Napari Plugin 🔌
The installation of the organelle-segmenter-plugin package is required for this method (see setup instructions above).
- Open Napari. Then drag-and-drop or use the
File>Open File(s)...controls to open a multi-channel confocal microscopy image. This image will be used to test the segmentation settings you want to apply during batch processing. - Start the plugin by navigating to
Plugin>Infer sub-Cellular Object Npe2 plugin>Workflow editor. The Workflow Editor will appear as a new right-side panel. - In the Workflow Editor, select the image you uploaded from the dropdown list.
- Select the workflow corresponding to your first desired organelle or subcellular region.
- Adjust the parameters for each step, one at a time. You can adjust the settings within a single step as many times as you would like; each time a step is run, a new output layer appears on the left. After proceeding to a subsequent step, you cannot return to a previous step. If you need to return to a previous step, you must restart the workflow by pressing
Close Workflowat the bottom of the panel and begin again. Your settings will not be saved automatically; follow the next step or note down your preferred settings before closing the workflow. - Once you are satisified with the workflow settings you've selected (tip: we recommend trying them one a variety of images/experimental conditions to assess robustness and refine settings as needed before batch processing), save the workflow settings that are compatible with your image by using the
Save Workflowoption at the bottom of the panel. IMPORTANT: the file name should end with the same name as the workflow you are working on.Naming Examples:
For settings saved from the 0.2.lyso workflow, the following names are acceptable:
- "20241031_lyso.json"
- "iPSCs_lyso.json"
- "lyso.json"
Do NOT use names like: (does not end in workflow suffix)
- "lysosomes.json"
- "LS.json"
- Close the workflow and repeat the steps above for any additional organelles and/or subcellular regions. Save each of the workflow setting files together in the same folder. This will allow them to be batch processed simultaneously.
- Once all the settings are saved, open the Batch Processor plugin in Napari by going to
Plugins>Infer sub-Cellular Object Npe2 plugin>Batch processing. A new right-side panel will appear. - Load the saved workflow settings (all of them can be processed at the same time) and specify the input (confocal microscopy images) and output (desired location for segmentation files to be saved) folders.
- Click
Run. A progress bar will allow you to track your processing.
Continue to the Quality Check section explained below BEFORE moving on to Part 2 – Organelle Quantification.
Segmentation Instructions - Option B: Jupyter Notebooks 📚
We have supplied the same analysis methods available in the Napari plugin in Jupyter Notebook format. The primary purpose of the Jupyter notebooks is to walk step-by-step through each of the segmentation workflows, linking the underlying code to each step in the segmentation workflows. We hope these notebooks provide a more easily accessible resource for those who are new to Python image analysis or a more flexible platform for customization.
The Jupyter Notebooks can be used in a similar fashion as the Napari plugin: 1) optimize segementation settings for each workflow; 2) batch process multiple segmentation workflows simultaneously on a set of images.
- Download the setup notebook (1.0) and the segmentation workflow notebooks (1.1-1.8) needed for your analysis. All segmentation workflow notebook can be found in this repository under
notebooks>part_1_segmentation_workflows. - Work through notebook 1.0_image_setup to ensure your images are compatible with the current infer-subc file readering and information extraction approaches. Any necessary updates needed for your images can be tested and implemented here. The steps presented in this notebook will be used to open raw files and read metadata in all other part 1 notebooks.
- Use notebooks 1.1 through 1.8 to determine the appropriate segmentation settings for your images (tip: we recommend typing segmentation settings one a variety of images/experimental conditions to assess robustness and refine settings as needed before batch processing). The settings implemented in these notebooks will be used as a reference when setting up batch processing in the next step.
- After you have determined the optimal segmentation settings for each desired workflow, work through the batch_process_segmentation notebook to batch process a series of images (all from the same folder).
Continue to the Quality Check section explained below BEFORE moving on to Part 2 – Organelle Quantification.
Quality Check and Mask Separation: Validate segmentation results🔎
After segmenting all the images in your dataset, we recommend you quality check your segmentation results by visually inspecting the images. The quality_check_segmentation notebook walks you through the quality checking process we recommend. This notebook also separates the masks segmentation output into separate cell and nuc (i.e., nucleus) segmentation files as well as the soma_neurite segmentation output into separate soma and neurite segmentation files, if you are include them in your analysis. This is separation process is REQUIRED for Part 2 – Organelle Quantification.
This notebook also ensures your data meet several assumptions necessary for quantification.
Using sample data in Napari
If you would like to test out the Napari plugin using the sample data, first download the raw astrocyte and neuron image from bioimage archive. To download the two raw microscopy images you may click neuron and astrocyte, refer to the Sample Data Info document or follow the instructions in the beginning of notebook 1.0. Back in Napari, Drag-and-drop or use the
File>Open File(s)...controls to open one of the raw sample images. As stated above in step 2, back in Napari, open the plugin by navigating toPlugin>Infer sub-Cellular Object Npe2 plugin>Workflow editor. After selecting the image in the plugin, click the space next toAdd Workflowand navigate to thesample_datafolder inside infer_subc. For either theexample_astrocyteorexample_neuronfolders, you will find asettingssubfolder that contains parameters in the form of .JSON files preset to work with their matching sample images. Select the .JSON file corresponding to your desired segmentation (make sure to use the settings that match the cell type of the example image). As you would in step 4, select the workflow that appears at the bottom of the list to apply the preset parameters. You can then follow steps 5 through 9 as stated above to create the segmentations. For further elaboration on the sample data, click here.
Segmentation outputs from the Napari plugin or notebook during batch processing will be saved as ".tiff" files. All organelle segmentations will include a single channel. The "masks" (e.g., cell, nucleus) and "soma_neurites" files will be stacked into a multichannel image. They must be separated into “cell” and “nuc” (or "soma" and "neurites") files before quantification (see the Quality Check section above).
After all organelles and subcellular regions are segmented and quality checked, multi-organelle analysis can be carried out using Jupyter Notebook-based pipeline(s). There are two main analysis approaches you can utilize:
1. Individual analysis pipelines:
The following notebooks contain separate types of quantitative analysis that can be carried our on a batch of images. They each contain a "Explanation of steps" section that walks step-by-step through the analysis process, and an "Execute quantification" section to process your data. These pipelines batch processes quantification for all files from a single experiment (contained in one folder) and then summarizes the quantification outputs across multiple experimental replicates.
- 2.1_organelle_morphology -- measures the size/shape/amount of each organelle per image or subcellular region (mask)
- 2.2_organelle_interactions -- quantifies the morphology and/or distribution of organelle interaction sites (overlaps between two or more organelles)
- 2.3_organelle_distribution -- measures the localization of organelles within the image or subcellular region (mask) in XY and Z, separately
- 2.4_cell_region_morphology -- measures the morphology of the provided masks (e.g., cell or subcellular regions)
Further explanations of the analysis methods are contained in the method_... notebooks. They are provided in the part_2_quantification folder for your reference.
2. Combined “Organelle Signature Analysis” pipeline:
The organelle_signature_analysis notebook combines the modular analyses mentioned above into a single pipeline that quantifies the morphology, interactions, and distribution of two or more organelles within a specified region (e.g., the cell) or the whole image. This pipeline batch processes quantification for all files from a single experiment (contained in one folder) and then summarizes the quantification outputs across multiple experimental replicates.
- Download the setup notebook (2.0) and the quantification notebook(s) (2.1-2.4 or organelle_signature_analysis) you wish to use for your quantitative analysis. All quantification notebook can be found in this repository under
notebooks>part_2_quantification. - Work through notebook 2.0_quantification_setup to ensure your data are compatible with the current infer-subc file readering and information extraction approaches. If you utilized the segmentation workflows and quality checking method available in Part 1 of
infer-subc, your setup should be straightfoward. However, any necessary updates needed for your images can be tested and implemented here. The steps presented in this notebook will be used to open raw and segmentation files in all other part 2 notebooks. - Use notebooks 2.1 through 2.4 or the organelle_signature_analysis notebook to quantify data from each experimental replicate, then summarize the data per region or image across multiple replicates. See the file organization above for reference on how image files should be organized before quantification.
A quick note on the tools and resources used...
aicssegmentation©️ -- Advanced segmentation functions created as part of the 'classic' analysis workflowsAICSImageIO©️-- Image importingcentrosome©️ -- Foundation of the distribution analysis (original implementation from CellProfiler)napari-allencell-segmenter©️ -- Napari plugin infrastructurenapari-- Image visualization and segmentation pluginnumpy-- Under the hood computationscikit-image-- Image analysis toolsscipy-- Image analysis toolspandas-- Quantitative data manipulation
These packages are called directly within infer-subc or source code has been copied and modified following the terms specified in the respective licenses (©️linked above).
If you encounter any problems, please file an issue with a detailed description.
Read the CONTRIBUTING.md file.
Distributed under the terms of the BSD-3 license.
infer-subc and organelle-segmenter-plugin are free and open-source software.
- National Institutes of Health under awards T32 NS007431, F31 842 AG079622, R01NS105981, and R35GM133460
- CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network (NDCN)
infer-subc analysis has been featured in:
- Shannon N. Rhoads, Weizhen Dong, Chih-Hsuan Hsu, Ngudiankama R. Mfulama, Joey V. Ragusa, Michael Ye, Andy Henrie, Maria Clara Zanellati, Graham H. Diering, Todd J. Cohen, Sarah Cohen. Neurons and astrocytes have distinct organelle signatures and responses to stress. bioRxiv 2024.10.30.621066; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.30.621066
- Zanellati MC, Coman Z, Bhowmik D, Hsu CH, Basundra R, Rhoads SN, Mfulama NR, Ehrmann BM, Deshmukh M, Cohen S. Organelle communication networks rewire to support lipid metabolism during neuronal differentiation. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Mar 7:2026.02.10.704675. PMID: 41726917; PMCID: PMC12919030. doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.10.704675
- Hsu CH, Kinrade AJ, Zanellati MC, Cohen S. Tubulin acetylation governs organelle remodeling and lysosomal reformation during neuronal differentiation. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Feb 14:2026.02.13.705749. PMID: 41726912; PMCID: PMC12918986. doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.13.705749
- Hsu CH, Kinrade AJ, Cohen S. Tubulin polyglutamylation modulates Golgi morphodynamics and neurite branching during neuronal morphogenesis. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Apr 14:2026.04.13.718193. PMID: 42039652; PMCID: PMC13105029. doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.13.718193