Fig. 4. Patterned alignment of HDF cells on LCE with a pair of −1 and circular +1 (bend type) defects.

(A) PolScope image of ${\widehat{\mathbf{n}}}_{\text{LCE}}$ pattern of LCE in contact with the cell growth medium. (B) Fluorescently stained HDF cells aligned in ( − 1, + 1) circular pattern. (C) Radial dependence of the surface density of cell nuclei σ shows increase of cell density at +1 defect core. (D) Large number density fluctuations ΔN in cell nuclei calculated for increasing window size of regions with mean number of nuclei 〈N〉. −1 defects show larger slope compare to +1. (E) PCM image of HDF cells on LCE layer at 240 hours after cell seeding. Red and blue dots denote location of negative and positive sign defect cores in patterned LCE obtained from POM. (F) Color-coded orientational field and (G) of the corresponding scheme of patterned HDF tissue director ${\widehat{\mathbf{n}}}_{\text{HDF}}$ obtained from local anisotropy of the textures in (E). Red bars in (G) denote local orientation of cells’ long axes. (H) Time dependence of separation between two +1/2 defects near the +1 circular core. Scale bars, 300 μm.