Actin filaments and associated proteins undergo wave-like movement in various cell types. Recent studies with cutting-edge analyses, including live-cell imaging, biophysical monitoring and manipulation, and mathematical modeling, have highlighted roles of ‘actin waves’ in cellular protrusion, polarization, and migration. The prevailing models to explain the wave-like dynamics of actin filaments involve an activator–inhibitor mechanism. In addition, axonal actin waves migrate by means of directional assembly and disassembly of membrane-anchored actin filaments, and thus represent a new type of machinery that translocates their component molecules to the cell edge. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of the generation, mobility, and functions of actin waves, and discuss how actin waves may self-organize into the molecular machinery underlying cell morphogenesis.

肌动蛋白丝和相关蛋白在各种细胞类型中经历波状运动。最近对前沿分析的研究，包括活细胞成像，生物物理监测和操纵以及数学建模，都强调了“肌动蛋白波”在细胞突起，极化和迁移中的作用。解释肌动蛋白丝的波状动力学的流行模型涉及激活剂-抑制剂机制。另外，轴突肌动蛋白波借助于膜锚定的肌动蛋白丝的定向组装和拆卸迁移，因此代表了一种新型的机械，其将其组成分子转移到细胞边缘。在这里，我们回顾了对肌动蛋白波的产生，活动性和功能的了解方面的最新进展，