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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Static Adhesion Assay for the Study of Integrin Activation in T Lymphocytes
Published on: June 13, 2014
The integrin-actin connection, an eternal love affair
Cord Brakebusch1, Reinhard Fässler
1Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Department of Molecular Medicine, Am Klopferspitz 18a, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Abstract:
Integrin receptors connect the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton. This interaction can be viewed as a cyclical liaison, which develops again and again at new adhesion sites only to cease at sites of de-adhesion. Recent work has demonstrated that multidomain proteins play crucial roles in the integrin-actin connection by providing a high degree of regulation adjusted to the needs of the cell. In this review we present several examples of this paradigm and with special emphasis on the ILK-PINCH-parvin complex, which amply demonstrates how structural and signalling functions are linked together.
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