[SMaLS] Proliferating Fibroblasts Collectively Align to an Anisotropic Substrate

Speaker: Toshi Parmar (Marchetti Group)

Title: Proliferating Fibroblasts Collectively Align to an Anisotropic Substrate

Abstract: I will introduce an experimental system of proliferating elongated cells (human dermal fibroblasts) that sense molecular-scale anisotropy of the substrate that they grow on. These cells develop large scale order along the direction of broken symmetry of the substrate but only do so collectively. The final degree of global alignment in the monolayer depends on the initial seeding density of cells. I will explain these observations by developing a theory of a proliferating nematic. I will construct a Landau theory with density driven frustration and density driven ordering which can explain the seeding density dependence of the global order. I will then motivate how proliferation driven flows, cell alignment to density contours, and anisotropic friction with the substrate act in concert to create large scale collective ordering.