Chenxin Li, PhD
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chenxinli2.bsky.social
Chenxin Li, PhD
@chenxinli2.bsky.social
Or just “Li” |
Assist. Prof. @ Plant Bio Michigan State U. |
Also post data visualization |
Lab: https://cxli233.github.io/cxLi_lab/ |
GitHub: https://github.com/cxli233
Pinned
Here is a thread showcasing my GitHub repositories: 1) Friends Don't Let Friends Make Bad Graphs. An opinionated essay on good and bad graphs.

My popular one by a long shot with 6.4k stars and 248 forks. github.com/cxli233/Frie...
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
New paper is online! We used single cell RNA-seq & phylogenetics to identify 2 additional cell type specific TFs that control late-stage vinca alkaloid biosynthesis. The key insights originated from Camptotheca, another species that produces alkaloids. doi.org/10.1111/nph.... #PlantScience #SecMet
November 10, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Single Cell Multiomics of Potato Stolons Reveals Parallels to Shoot Apical Meristems in Arabidopsis

From: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#PlantScience
November 11, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I noticed some people say "metabolic gene cluster" while others say "biosynthetic gene cluster". Is there any distinction in usage? #PlantScience #SecMet
November 11, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
everyone talking about Frieren's demons has missed a better comparison, so-called "AI" like Grok, Claude, ChatGPT, a thing that mimics human syntax brilliantly, isn't capable of human thought or emotion, but merely preys on people
November 11, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Vought holds one of the most powerful jobs in D.C., and he’s used his position to wage a quiet war to change the shape of the entire U.S. government.

Here's what you should know about Trump’s shadow president.
What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President
Vought is the architect of President Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies. Here are some key things to know about the D.C. insider who ...
www.propublica.org
November 11, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Poppies are a symbol of remembrance on Armistice Day. Did you know that some poppies are also the source of powerful opioid painkillers?

Find out more in this graphic: www.compoundchem.com/2020/11/11/p...

#ChemSky 🧪
November 11, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Plz RP. Come join us at @slcuplants.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk to study effector-targeted plant processes impacting plant cell biology and development.
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/post-do...
www.schornacklab.net
November 6, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
UNC-Chapel Hill's chancellor says the university will not sign on to a higher education compact from the Trump administration.

www.wunc.org/education/20...
After faculty raise concerns, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor says university will not sign Trump's higher ed compact
Lee Roberts called the "preferential treatment" proposal a clear infringement on academic freedom.
www.wunc.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Some small and cute callus from first batch of tissue culture experiment in the lab.
November 11, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Submitted our NSF proposal. It was rated outstanding by the panel last year, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough funding from the NSF to fund it. Trying it again and hoping for the best.
November 10, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Finally out! We measured mutations in tetraploid potato. Highlights:

- higher mutation rates in L1 than L2
- even higher rates and a distinct oxidative stress signature outside of meristems
- lower mutation rates in genes everywhere we looked

More 👇
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2514507122
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
I mean...
November 10, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
November 10, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Something interesting. I first saw this in a teaching greenhouse, but now confirmed in my lab light shelves! In long days (16L8D), my Kalanchoe grew clones (first pic). In short days (8L16D), no clones. Short day grown plants also lack anthocyanin (red patches under the leaf). #PlantScience
November 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Pre-ACA, I was a postdoc on an NSF fellowship at a university that didn't offer employment benefits to independent fellows. At that time, being a woman meant that my premiums were double that of my male counterparts. The extra cost came out of my grant's budget for benefits, equipment, and travel.
November 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
this looks very interesting with numerous implications for nuclear biology and gene expression.

Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Mapping chromatin structure at base-pair resolution unveils a unified model of cis-regulatory element interactions
Li et al. apply base-pair resolution Micro Capture-C ultra to map chromatin contacts between individual motifs within cis-regulatory elements and reveal a unified model of biophysically mediated enhan...
www.cell.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Real...!?
November 10, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Just a reminder that the application deadline for the @uncbiology.bsky.social tenure-track Assistant Professor in Plant Molecular Biology position closes in a week (Nov 17). Chapel Hill is a wonderful place and Biology is an amazing group of people. To apply, see: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
November 10, 2025 at 1:07 PM
New paper is online! We used single cell RNA-seq & phylogenetics to identify 2 additional cell type specific TFs that control late-stage vinca alkaloid biosynthesis. The key insights originated from Camptotheca, another species that produces alkaloids. doi.org/10.1111/nph.... #PlantScience #SecMet
November 10, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
🧬 Interested in dissecting dose-dependent transcriptional regulation through epigenome editing and synthetic biology for your PhD? Apply by 07.01.2026 to join the lab of @eddaschulz.bsky.social @molgen.mpg.de & #IMPRS-BAC #gradschool.

👉 www.molgen.mpg.de/5099133/schu...
November 4, 2025 at 11:19 AM
First snow
November 9, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
There are lots of answers out there that are beautiful because the truth of the system is beautiful. If I find one of these beautiful facts, it doesn’t make me brilliant. Just right place and right time. True scientific heroes acknowledge that fact.
November 9, 2025 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
But Watson became world famous, not because of the quality of his work per se, but because he was the first to grasp the answer and the answer was so beautiful and full of implications.

24/41
November 8, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
Aaron Klug, a leading crystallographer and a close colleague of Franklin’s working on the structures of viruses, believed that she would have discovered it, but more slowly because she was a careful and methodical scientist as opposed to Watson’s undisciplined rush to the answer.

23/41
November 8, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Chenxin Li, PhD
He is focused on winning the race to the structure rather than finding out what the structure is. He objectifies women and treats them quite disrespectfully. He is quick to point out the flaws of many of his colleagues.

19/41
November 8, 2025 at 1:58 PM