  We propose a model for membrane-cortex adhesion which couples membrane
deformations, hydrodynamics and kinetics of membrane-cortex ligands. In its
simplest form, the model gives explicit predictions for the critical pressure
for membrane detachment and for the value of adhesion energy. We show that
these quantities exhibit a significant dependence on the active acto-myosin
stresses. The model provides a simple framework to access quantitative
information on cortical activity by means of micropipette experiments. We also
extend the model to incorporate fluctuations and show that detailed information
on the stability of membrane-cortex coupling can be obtained by a combination
of micropipette aspiration and fluctuation spectroscopy measurements.
