Issues

The image represents talin in focal adhesions. Talin is a mechanosensitive molecule that connects the integrin receptors in the cell membrane with the cytoskeleton. It is exposed to mechanical stretching, which induces the unfolding of its structure. This controls talin's interaction with other proteins, such as Deleted in Liver Cancer (DLC), which is a tumour suppressor and negative regulator of cell contractility. To learn more about this, please see the articles in this issue by Burridge (pages 673–675), Barnett and Kanchanawong (pages 677–680), and Popa and Berkovich (pages 687–699). The image was prepared by Magdalena von Essen, background picture: Vesa Hytönen.