Quantification of nematic cell polarity in three-dimensional tissues
André Scholich1, Simon Syga1,2, Hernán Morales-Navarrete3
1Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany.
Plos Computational Biology
|December 10, 2020
Summary
Liver cells exhibit a unique "nematic cell polarity," distinct from typical epithelial tissues. This study reveals local coordination of this polarity, aligning with blood vessel networks, likening liver tissue to a biological liquid crystal.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Epithelial cell polarity is crucial for tissue function but complex patterns remain poorly understood.
- Liver tissue displays a unique nematic cell polarity, differing from simple epithelial tissues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a framework for characterizing complex cell polarity patterns.
- To quantify nematic cell polarity in liver tissue and its relationship with tissue structure.
Main Methods:
- A conceptual and algorithmic framework using multipole expansion for cell surface polarity.
- Introduction of co-orientational order parameters, generalizing liquid crystal theory.
- Application to 3D reconstructions of mouse liver hepatocytes using high-resolution imaging data.
Main Results:
- Hepatocyte nematic cell polarity axes show local coordination.
- These polarity axes align with the sinusoidal network for blood transport.
- Liver tissue is characterized as a biological example of a biaxial liquid crystal.
Conclusions:
- Developed a novel method to quantify complex cell polarity.
- Demonstrated local coordination and alignment of nematic cell polarity in liver tissue.
- The framework is applicable to other tissues and organoids for understanding tissue organization.
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