Actin filaments are dynamic protein-fibers in the cell built from single actin proteins. Many cellular functions, including cell movement, are regulated by constant filament assembly and disassembly.

"There were no components of this paper that were previously unknown," says Marc W. Kirschner, Carl W. Walter professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School. "We didn't discover any new molecules ...

Cell migration depends on structures called focal adhesions that connect a cell to the surrounding extracellular matrix. Microtubules—long, thin polymers found in and around cells—help disassemble ...

Research has demonstrated that actin waves propagate via actin polymerization on the substrate-attached cell membrane at the wave’s front and disassembly at the back of the wave. 4 Proteins named Arp2 ...