Integrin activation--the importance of a positive feedback
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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Static Adhesion Assay for the Study of Integrin Activation in T Lymphocytes
Published on: June 13, 2014
1Mathematical Institute, Centre for Mathematical Biology, 24-29 St. Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LB, UK. iber@maths.ox.ac.uk
Abstract:
Integrins mediate cell adhesion and are essential receptors for the development and functioning of multicellular organisms. Integrin activation is known to require both ligand and talin binding and to correlate with cluster formation but the activation mechanism and precise roles of these processes are not yet resolved. Here mathematical modeling, with known experimental parameters, is used to show that the binding of a stabilizing factor, such as talin, is alone insufficient to enable ligand-dependent integrin activation for all observed conditions; an additional positive feedback is required.
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