Force spectroscopy with electromagnetic tweezers.

Force spectroscopy using magnetic tweezers (MTs) is a powerful method to probe the physical characteristics of single polymers. Typically, molecules are functionalized for specific attachment to a glass surface at one end and a micrometer-scale paramagnetic bead at the other end. By applying an external magnetic field, multiple molecules can be stretched and twisted simultaneously without exposure to potentially damaging radiation.

/NeuroD1 Functions with the Homeobox Gene /Vax2 and Hox Gene /labial To Specify Aspects of RME and DD Neuron Fate in .

Identifying the mechanisms behind neuronal fate specification are key to understanding normal neural development in addition to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. cell fate specification is difficult to study in vertebrates. However, the nematode , with its invariant cell lineage and simple nervous system of 302 neurons, is an ideal organism to explore the earliest stages of neural development.