Surface topography is a key parameter in regulating the morphology and behavior of single cells. At multicellular level, coordinated cell displacements drive many biological events such as embryonic morphogenesis. However, the effect of surface topography on collective migration of epithelium has not been studied in detail. Mastering the connection between surface features and collective cellular behaviour is highly important for novel approaches in tissue engineering and repair. Herein, we used photopatterned microtopographies on azobenzene-containing materials and showed that smooth topographical cues with proper period and orientation can efficiently orchestrate cell alignment in growing epithelium. Furthermore, the experimental system allowed us to investigate how the orientation of the topographical features can alter the speed of wound closure in vitro. Our findings indicate that the extracellular microenvironment topography coordinates their focal adhesion distribution and alignment. These topographic cues are able to guide the collective migration of multicellular systems, even when cell–cell junctions are disrupted.

表面形貌是调节单细胞形态和行为的关键参数。在多细胞水平上，协调的细胞位移驱动许多生物事件，如胚胎形态发生。然而，尚未详细研究表面形貌对上皮集体迁移的影响。掌握表面特征和集体细胞行为之间的联系对于组织工程和修复的新方法非常重要。在此，我们在含偶氮苯材料上使用了光图案微地形图，并表明具有适当周期和方向的平滑地形线索可以有效地协调生长上皮中的细胞排列。此外，实验系统使我们能够研究地形特征的方向如何改变体外伤口闭合的速度。我们的研究结果表明，细胞外微环境地形协调了它们的粘着斑分布和排列。这些地形线索能够指导多细胞系统的集体迁移，即使细胞 - 细胞连接被破坏。