Integrins are large heterodimeric (αβ) cell surface receptors that play a key role in the formation of focal adhesion complexes and are involved in various signal transduction pathways. They are ‘activated’ to a high affinity state by the formation of an intracellular complex between the membrane, the integrin β-subunit tail and talin, a process known as ‘inside-out activation’. The head domain of talin, a FERM domain homologue, plays a vital role in the formation of this complex. Recent ...