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Integrin activation—the importance of a positive feedback

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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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mathematical Institute, Centre for Mathematical Biology, 24–29 St. Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LB, UK

    Dagmar Iber

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK

    Iain D. Campbell

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  1. Dagmar Iber
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  2. Iain D. Campbell
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Correspondence to Dagmar Iber.

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Iber, D., Campbell, I.D. Integrin activation—the importance of a positive feedback. Bull. Math. Biol. 68, 945–956 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-005-9049-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-005-9049-5

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