Integrin signaling is bidirectional. ‘Inside-out’ signals regulate integrin affinity for adhesive ligands, and ligand-dependent ‘outside-in’ signals regulate cellular responses to adhesion. Integrin extracellular domains are yielding to high-resolution structural analyses, and intracellular proteins involved in integrin signaling are being identified. However, a key unresolved question is how integrins propagate signals across the plasma membrane.