Physics of liquid crystals in cell biology

Amin Doostmohammadi*, Benoit Ladoux

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReviewResearchpeer-review

37 Citations (Scopus)
107 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed a rapid growth in understanding of the pivotal roles of mechanical stresses and physical forces in cell biology. As a result, an integrated view of cell biology is evolving, where genetic and molecular features are scrutinised hand in hand with physical and mechanical characteristics of cells. Physics of liquid crystals has emerged as a burgeoning new frontier in cell biology over the past few years, fuelled by an increasing identification of orientational order and topological defects in cell biology, spanning scales from subcellular filaments to individual cells and multicellular tissues. Here, we provide an account of the most recent findings and developments, together with future promises and challenges in this rapidly evolving interdisciplinary research direction.

Original languageEnglish
JournalTrends in Cell Biology
Volume32
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)140-150
Number of pages11
ISSN0962-8924
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2022

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