Alignment and controlled formation of topological defects in living fibroblast cells by liquid crystals

ORAL

Abstract

Arrays of living tissue-forming cells behave as orientationally ordered active nematics and create topological defects of strength +1/2 and -1/2. These defects play an important role in compressive-dilative stresses in tissues and facilitate effects such as apoptosis and cell migration. The challenge is to design orientational patterns of cells with predetermined spatial locations of topological defects in them. We propose an approach to control the alignment of human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells by substrates with photoaligned liquid crystal polymers (LCPs). With a plasmonic metamask alignment method, we patterned the director orientation of the LCPs with topological defects of integer (+1, -1) and semi-integer (+1/2, -1/2) strength. Combination of polarized, phase contrast and fluorescent microscopies proves that the HDF cells align along the patterned director of the LCP substrate. The patterns cause a modulation of cell density, as the cells accumulate near the cores of the defects with positive topological charge. The approach could be used to control the locations of defect formation in tissues of living cells and potentially control the extrusion of undesirable cells.

*The work is supported by NSF DMREF grant DMS-1729509 and by Office of Sciences, DOE, grant DE-SC0019105.

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Presenters

  • Taras Turiv

    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA
    • Advanced Materials Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univeristy
    • Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University

Authors

  • Taras Turiv

    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA
    • Advanced Materials Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univeristy
    • Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University

  • Jess Krieger

    • School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University
    • Kent State University

  • Hao Yu

    • Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univeristy

  • Irakli Chaganava

    • Georgian Technical University
    • Institute of Cybernetics, Georgian Technical University, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia

  • Qi-Huo Wei

    • Kent State University
    • Advanced Material and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH44242
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Physics Department, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univeristy

  • Min-Ho Kim

    • School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University
    • Kent State University

  • O D Lavrentovich

    • Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242, USA
    • Department of Physics and Advanced Materials Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute and Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program and Physics Department, Kent State University
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univeristy
    • Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute / Department of Physics, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
    • Department of Physics, Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, Chemical Physics Interdisciplinary Program, Kent State University