Controlling topological defects and contractile flow in confined nematic cell population

Abstract

Topological defects in an orientation field play a vital role for controlling the collective motion of nematic cell populations within epithelia and tissue. In this study, we study the geometric control of the collective motion in a nematic cell population to further explore the interplay between topology and dynamics in active nematics. By applying spatial constraints consisting of two or three overlapping circle boundaries, we demonstrate an ordered pairing of half-integer topological defects in a confined cell population. The defects facing each other can induce a contractile cellular flow at broad geometric conditions. This robust contractile flow contributes to mechanical stimulation while altering the cell nucleus, which may be relevant to geometry-dependent morphogenesis.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure