Integrin-linked kinase at a glance.

Integrins are a large family of cell– extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell–cell adhesion molecules that regulate development and tissue homeostasis by controlling cell migration, survival, proliferation and differentiation (Hynes, 2002). They are non-covalently associated heterodimers consisting of aand bsubunits. On the cell surface, integrins exist in a conformation with either high (active) or low (inactive) ligand affinity. Upon activation (inside-out signalling) (Moser et al., 2009), integrins cluster and form nascent focal adhesions, which eventually mature into focal adhesions (FAs) (outside-in signalling) (Legate et al., 2009; Geiger and Yamada, 2011). Major functions of integrins in FAs include their ability to link the ECM to the actin cytoskeleton and to fine tune growth factor receptor signalling (Legate et al., 2009).