Talin (protein)

[2][3] Discovered in 1983 by Keith Burridge and colleagues,[1] talin is a ubiquitous cytosolic protein that is found in high concentrations in focal adhesions.

[10] Talin also binds with high affinity to vinculin,[11] another cytoskeletal protein concentrated at points of cell adhesion.

Its mechanical vulnerability[15] and cellular position bridging integrin receptors and the actin cytoskeleton make it a fundamental protein in mechanotransduction.

Activation of the VBS leads to the recruitment of vinculin to form a complex with the integrins which aids stable cell adhesion.

The hydrophobic residues that define the VBS are themselves 'masked' and are buried in the core of a series of helical bundles that make up the talin rod.