Epithelial morphogenesis
Cancer researchers study the molecules and mechanisms that govern the polarity, growth, and morphogenesis of epithelia, the fundamental tissue of all animals and the major constituent of human organs [1,2]. They also use the follicles or egg chambers of Drosophila fruit flies as a model system for cancer studies to understand how epithelial organization prevents tumor formation and how tumors kill their hosts [1,2]. The effect of various genetic mutations on the apicobasal polarity of the follicle are evaluated [1,2].
Challenges when imaging Drosophila follicles
There were 2 main challenges encountered when imaging thick follicles or egg chambers of Drosophila model organisms with conventional widefield microscopy. One was being able to quickly identify follicles in the stage of interest, especially those with such small structures. Another challenge was that widefield images often had a haze or out-of-focus blur produced by light scattering [3,4]. The haze can obscure interesting structures inside the follicle.
Methods to investigate Drosophila follicles
The