The switchable integrin adhesome

Adhesion sites, which interconnect cells with their neighbors or with the extracellular matrix (ECM), are large multiprotein complexes that provide mechanical coupling as well as a means for cells to sense the chemical and physical properties of their environment (Bershadsky et al., 2003; Chen et al., 2004; Geiger et al., 2001; Sastry and Burridge, 2000). The complex interplay between the mechanical role of cell adhesions and their ‘instructive role’, which is manifested by the activation of a wide variety of signaling networks, is mediated by a group of proteins collectively known as the ‘adhesome’. The concerted activity of adhesome components affects essentially al