Fig. 2. Patterned alignment of HDF cells on LCE with a (−1/2,+1/2) pair of defects.

(A) PolScope texture showing ${\widehat{\mathbf{n}}}_{\text{LCE}}$ and optical retardation of LCE in contact with the cell growth medium. (B and C) DHM textures of LCE surface in contact with the cell growth medium with (B) −1/2 and (C) +1/2 defects. (D) Fluorescently stained HDF cells; 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole–labeled cells nuclei (blue) and phalloidin-labeled actin cytoskeleton filaments (green). (E) The surface density of cell nuclei σ as the function of distance r from +1/2 (blue) and −1/2 (red) defect cores. (F) Large number density fluctuations ΔN of the nuclei in the vicinity of defect cores. (G) PCM images of HDF cells on LCE substrate at 240 hours after the seeding. Blue and red dots denote location of +1/2 and −1/2 defect cores, respectively, obtained from polarized optical microscopy (POM) texture of LCE. (H) Color-coded orientational field and (I) the corresponding scheme of patterned HDF tissue director ${\widehat{\mathbf{n}}}_{\text{HDF}}$ imaged with PCM. Red bars in (I) denote local orientation of cells’ long axes. (J) Separation between half-strength defects for horizontal and vertical director between them (see fig. S6). Scale bars, 300 μm.