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Actin Dynamics
Treadmilling, Arp2/3-mediated dendritic nucleation, and retrograde flow at the leading edge of a motile cell.
Treadmilling: Actin filaments grow at their barbed (plus) end and shrink at the pointed (minus) end, creating a treadmill effect. Dendritic nucleation: Arp2/3 complex (activated by WASP/Wave) nucleates new filaments at ~70° off existing ones, creating a branched meshwork. Retrograde flow: myosin II contractility drags the network rearward even as the leading edge protrudes forward. Net protrusion = polymerization rate − retrograde flow speed.