Signal processing method in autoradiography

• US 4,777,597 A
• Filed: 03/11/1987
• Issued: 10/11/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimura, Tsutomu, Hishinuma, Kazuhiro, Shiraishi, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Meyer, Charles B.
• Application Number:
  US07/024,909
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 364/413, 364/414, 382/6, 435/76, 435/6, 435/77, 435/808, 935/77, 436/167
• US Class Current: 250/583
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2012 using stimulable phosphors, e.g. stimulable phosphor sheets
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2014 Reading out of stimulable sheets, e.g. latent image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 250/909 Methods and apparatus ancillary to stimulable phosphor systems

Abstract

A signal processing method in autoradiography employing a stimulable phosphor sheet for the purpose of obtaining information on the one dimensional location of radioactively labeled substances distributed in at least one dimensional direction on a support medium, in the form of a symbol, numeral or combination thereof, including the steps of:

(1) determining a one dimensional scanning line for signal processing; and

(2) detecting sampling points on said scanning line,

the process being applied to digital signals corresponding to an autoradiograph having the locational information on the radioactively labeled substances, the digital signals being obtained from stimulable phosphor sheet.

Claims

1. A signal processing method in autoradiography for obtaining information at a one dimensional location of radioactively labeled substances distributed in at least one dimensional direction on a support medium, the information being in the form of symbols, numerals and combinations of the numerals and the symbols,

which comprises a process including:

(1) determining a one dimensional scanning line for signal processing; and

(2) detecting sampling points on said scanning line,

said process being applied to digital signals corresponding to an autoradiograph having the locational information on the radioactively labeled substances, said digital signal being obtained by causing a stimulable phosphor sheet to absorb radiation energy emitted by said radioactively labeled substances on the support medium to record the autoradiograph of the radioactively labeled substances on the stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning said stimulable phosphor sheet with an electromagnetic wave to release at least a portion of the radiation energy stored in said phosphor sheet in the form of the autoradiograph as stimulated emission, and detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically.

2. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 1 in which all points on said scanning line at which the signal exhibits a maximum level are assigned to sampling points on the scanning line.

3. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which said radioactively labeled substances distributed on the support medium are biopolymers, derivatives of the biopolymers, or cleavage products thereof, labeled with a radioactive element and resolved on the support medium in one dimensional direction.

4. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 3, in which said biopolymers are nucleic acids, derivatives of said nucleic acids or cleavage products of said nucleic acids;

and said symbols, numerals and combinations of said symbols and said numerals obtained by said signal processing represents a base sequence of the biopolymers.

5. A signal processing method in autoradiography for obtaining information on the one dimensional location of groups of radioactively labeled substances arranged in plural columns and distributed respectively in at least one dimensional direction on a support medium, the information being in the form of symbols, numerals and combinations of the symbols and the numerals,

which comprises a process including:

(1) determining one each of the plural columns a one dimensional scanning line for signal processing;

(2) detecting on each of the plural columns sampling points on said scanning line; and

(3) comparing and identifying said sampling points detected in the plural columns,

said process being applied to digital signals corresponding to an autoradiograph having the locational information on the groups of radioactively labeled substances, said digital signal being obtained by causing a stimulable phosphor sheet to absorb radiation energy emitted by the groups of radioactively labeled substances on the support medium to record the autoradiograph of the groups of radioactively labeled substances on the stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning said stimulable phosphor sheet with an electromagnetic wave to release at least a portion of radiation energy stored in said phosphor sheet in the form of the autoradiograph as stimulated emission, and detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically.

6. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 5, in which all points on said scanning line at which the signal exhibits maximum levels are assigned to sampling points on the scanning line.

7. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 5 or 6, in which said comparing and identifying of the sampling points are performed by numerical calculation on the positions of sampling points on the scanning lines among the plural rows.

8. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 5 or 6, in which said groups of radioactively labeled substances distributed on the support medium are biopolymers, derivatives of the biopolymers, or cleavage products thereof, labeled with a radioactive element and resolved on the support medium in one dimensional direction.

9. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 8, in which said biopolymers are nucleic acids, derivatives of said nucleic acids or cleavage products of said nucleic acids;

and said symbols, numerals and combinations of said symbols and said numerals obtained by said signal processing represents a base sequence of biopolymers.

10. A signal processing method in autoradiography for determining base sequence of DNA or DNA fragment, employing at least four groups of base specific cleavage products consisting of:

(1) base specific cleavage products including at least guanine specific cleavage products;

(2) base specific cleavage products including at least adenine specific cleavage products;

(3) base specific cleavage products including at least cytosine specific cleavage products; and

(4) base specific cleavage products including at least thymine specific cleavage products,

which are obtained by specific cleavage of the DNA or DNA fragment which has been labeled with a radioactive element, and resolved respectively in one dimensional direction to form resolved columns on a support medium,

which comprises a process including;

(1) determining on each of the resolved columns a one dimensional scanning line for signal processing;

(2) detecting on each of the resolved columns sampling points on said scanning line; and

(3) comparing and identifying the positions of said sampling points on the scanning lines among the resolved columns to obtain locational information on guanine, adenine, thymine and cytosine,

said process being applied to digital signals corresponding to an autoradiograph having the locational information on the groups of radioactively labeled cleavage products, said digital signals being obtained by causing a stimulable phosphor sheet to absorb radiation energy emitted by the groups of radioactively labeled cleavage products on the support medium to record the autoradiograph of the groups of radioactively labeled cleavage products on the stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning said stimulable phosphor sheet with an electromagnetic wave to release at least a portion of radiation energy stored in said phosphor sheet in the form of the autoradiograph as stimulated emission, and detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically.

11. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 10, in which said groups of base specific cleavage products of DNA or DNA fragment include at least four groups consisting of:

(1) guanine specific cleavage products;

(2) guanine specific cleavage products and adenine specific cleavage products;

(3) thymine specific cleavage products and cytosine specific cleavage products; and

(4) cytosine specific cleavage products.

12. A signal processing method in autoradiography for obtaining information on the one dimensional location of radioactively labeled substances distributed in at least one dimensional direction on a support medium, in the form of symbols, numerals or combinations of the symbols and the numerals and a visible image, which comprises;

(I) a process for obtaining the information in the form of symbols, numerals or combinations of the symbols and the numerals including;

(1) determining a one dimensional scanning line for signal processing; and

(2) detecting sampling points on said scanning line,

said process being applied to digital signals corresponding to an autoradiograph having the locational information on the radioactively labeled substances, said digital signals being obtained by causing a stimulable phosphor sheet to absorb radiation energy emitted by said radioactively labeled substances on the support medium to record the autoradiograph of the radioactively labeled substances on the stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning said stimulable phosphor sheet with an electromagnetic wave to release at least a portion of radiation energy stored in said phosphor sheet in the form of the autoradiograph as stimulated emission, and detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically, and

(II) a process for reproducing the visible image from an electric or digital signal corresponding to said autoradiograph obtained by detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically.

13. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 12, in which all points on said scanning line at which the signal exhibits maximum levels are assigned to sampling points on the scanning line.

14. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 12 or 13, in which said radioactively labeled substances distributed on the support medium are biopolymers, derivatives of the biopolymers, or cleavage products thereof, labeled with a radioactive element and resolved on the support medium in one dimensional direction.

15. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 14, in which said bipolymers are nucleic acids, derivatives of said nucleic acids or cleavage products of said nucleic acids;

and said symbols, numerals and combinations of said symbols and said numerals obtained by said signal processing represents a base sequence of biopolymers.

16. A signal processing method in autoradiography for obtaining information on a one dimensional location of groups of radioactively labeled substances arranged in plural columns and distributed respectively in at least one dimensional direction on a support medium, in the form of symbols, numerals or combinations of the symbols and the numerals and a visible image, which comprises:

(I) a process for obtaining the information in the form of symbols, numerals or combinations of the symbols and the numerals, including;

(1) determining on each of the plural columns a one dimensional scanning line for signal processing;

(2) detecting on each of the plural columns sampling points on said scanning line; and

(3) comparing and identifying said sampling points detected in the plural columns,

said process being applied to digital signals corresponding to an autoradiograph having the locational information on the groups of radioactively labeled substances, said digital signals being obtained by causing a stimulable phosphor sheet to absorb radiation energy emitted by the groups of radioactively labeled substances on the support medium to record the autoradiograph of the groups of radioactively labeled substances on the stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning said stimulable phosphor sheet with an electromagnetic wave to release at least a portion of radiation energy stored in said phosphor sheet in the form of the autoradiograph as stimulated emission, and detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically, and

(II) a process for reproducing the visible image from an electric or digital signal corresponding to said autoradiograph obtained by detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically.

17. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 16, in which all points on said scanning line at which the signal exhibits maximum levels are assigned to sampling points on the scanning line.

18. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 16 or 17, in which said comparing and identifying of the sampling points are performed by numerical calculation on the positions of sampling points on the scanning lines among the plural rows.

19. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 16 or 17, in which said groups of radioactively labeled substances distributed on the support medium are biopolymers, derivatives of the biopolymers, or cleavage products thereof, labeled with a radioactive element and resolved on the support medium in one dimensional direction.

20. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 19, in which said biopolymers are nucleic acids, derivatives of said nucleic acids or cleavage products of said nucleic acids;

and said symbols, numerals and combinations of said symbols and said numerals obtained by said signal processing represents a base sequence of the biopolymers.

21. A signal processing method in autoradiography for determining a base sequence of DNA or DNA fragment, employing at least four groups of base specific cleavage products consisting of:

(1) base specific cleavage products including at least guanine specific cleavage products;

(2) base specific cleavage products including at least adenine specific cleavage products;

(3) base specific cleavage products including at least cytosine specific cleavage products; and

(4) base specific cleavage products including at least thymine specific cleavage products,

which are obtained by specific cleavage of the DNA or DNA fragment which has been labeled with a radioactive element, and resolved respectively in a one dimensional direction to form resolved columns on a support medium,

which comprises;

(I) a process including;

(1) determining on each of the resolved columns a one dimensional scanning line for signal processing;

(2) detecting one each of the resolved columns sampling points on said scanning line; and

(3) comparing and identifying the positions of said sampling points on the scanning lines among the resolved columns to obtain locational information on quanine, adenine, thymine and cytosine,

said process being applied to digital signals corresponding to an autoradiograph having the locational information on the group of radioactively labeled cleavage products, said digital signal being obtained by causing a stimulable phosphor sheet to absorb radiation energy emitted by the group of radioactively labeled cleavage products on the support medium to record the autoradiograph of the group of radioactively labeled cleavage products on the stimulable phosphor sheet, scanning said stimulable phosphor sheet with an electromagnetic wave to release at least a portion of radiation energy stored in said phosphor sheet in the form of the autoradiograph as stimulated emission, and detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically, and

(II) a process for reproducing the visible image from an electric or digital signal corresponding to said autoradiograph obtained by detecting said stimulated emission photoelectrically.

22. The signal processing method in autoradiography as claimed in claim 21, in which said groups of base specific cleavage products of DNA or DNA fragment include at least four groups consisting of:

(1) guanine specific cleavage products;

(2) guanine specific cleavage products and

adenine specific cleavage products;

(3) thymine specific cleavage products and

cytosine specific cleavage products; and

(4) cytosine specific cleavage products.