CELL CONTRACTILITY AND AN ACTIN GRADIENT DRIVE POLAR ALIGNMENT OF FIBROBLASTS IN CONSTRAINED GEOMETRIES

When REF 2c cells were placed on circular micro-contact printed patterns, the boundary cells radially aligned over a period of 48 h. Video tracking of specific boundary and inner cells showed that this phenomenon was not caused by cells migrating towards or away from the periphery. Cell contractility, intercellular junctions, and cell-cell adhesion are required for radial alignment.