Keith W.T. Burridge

Burridge was for many years a cell biologist studying the structure and function of cell adhesions. He identified several focal adhesion proteins including alpha-actinin, talin and paxillin. He elucidated how stress fibers are anchored via talin to integrins at focal adhesions, and identified signaling pathways occurring at these sites, including adhesion-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation and regulation of Rho GTPases. He discovered that RhoA activates myosin contributing to focal adhesion and stress fiber assembly. Retiring in 2019, he now writes plays, usually with a historical theme. “The Art of Deception” about art forgery won Playwrights First Best New Play of 2014.