FOCAL POINT  Vincent Fiore (left), Thomas Barker (right), and colleagues found that, compared with control fibroblasts (second from right), Thy-1 deficiency (far right) provokes altered cytoskeletal organization (actin, green), focal adhesion assembly (vinculin, red), and increased cortical stiffness in fibroblasts because of disrupted integrin activity. Nuclei in blue.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALISON DOUGLAS (FIORE) AND ROB FELT, GEORGIA TECH (BARKER).