Title: Nematic alignment in cells guided by topography
There is increasing evidence that the liquid crystalline organization of certain types of cells affects their functional properties, such as their migration patterns and communication. Moreover, it is suggested that defects in the cell alignment promote apoptosis and influence tissue morphogenesis. Each of these phenomena is the result of a delicate interplay between biological, chemical and physical cues, which eventually determine the fate of the cells.
In our research we impose and control distortions in monolayers of fibroblast cells using micro-patterned surfaces with varying shapes and surface chemistry. For example, we confine the cells in wells with corners and wedges to characterize the cells' tendency to splay or bend near corners, to determine the elastic anisotropy of the monolayer. Moreover, we can impose topological defects in the cell alignment using patterned micro-ridges. This allows us to characterize the alignment and the organization of the fibroblasts near and far from topological defects. We find that topological defects affect the distribution, the average shape and the dynamics of the fibroblasts, and further that this behavior is affected by the geometry of the ridges and by the strength of the adhesion.
Short bio: Francesca Serra is an associate professor of experimental physics at the University of Southern Denmark. After her PhD at Cambridge University and her postdoctoral appointments at the University of Milan and the University of Pennsylvania, she became assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in 2017, and in 2021 she started her current position in Denmark. Her group's research interests focus especially on liquid crystals optics and topological defects. In the last few years her group became interested in how liquid crystal research can be applied to biological systems and cells.
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