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Published on: September 20, 2017
Single cell spreading and deconstruction at liquid crystal interfaces
Youlim Ha1, Joe Chin-Hun Kuo1, Justin H Paek2
1Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|July 29, 2026
Summary
Researchers used liquid crystals (LCs) to observe how cells break apart at fluid interfaces. They discovered physical processes and identified factors influencing cell deconstruction, paving the way for new biophysical analyses.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Cellular damage at fluid interfaces is poorly understood.
- Interactions between biological cells and interfaces can lead to cell destruction.
- Understanding these processes is crucial for cell biology and materials science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cell damage mechanisms at liquid crystal (LC) interfaces.
- To explore how cells alter LC ordering and generate optical signatures.
- To determine the influence of molecular adsorbates on cell damage pathways.
Main Methods:
- Sedimenting MCF10A breast epithelial cells onto nematic LCs.
- Imaging cells and LC responses using optical microscopy.
- Utilizing fluorescence imaging and control experiments with vesicles and red blood cells.
Main Results:
- Observed a lag phase followed by rapid cell displacement and complex LC spatiotemporal patterns.
- Identified fingering instabilities indicating cell deconstruction driven by interfacial tension gradients.
- Demonstrated that adsorbates and MUC1 expression influence cell disassembly dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Liquid crystal interfaces reveal physical processes of cell damage at the microscale.
- LC interfaces can be used for single-cell biophysical property analysis.
- Findings provide insights into cell-interface interactions and molecular damage pathways.
