Publications by authors named "Pengxue Li"

Pancreatic cancer (PC) cachexia, characterized by profound muscle wasting and systemic inflammation, remains a formidable clinical challenge due to its multifactorial nature and complex molecular underpinnings. This study delves into the intricate interplay between microRNA (miRNA) dysregulation and ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent cell death, in PC cachexia. Specifically, we identified tumor-derived miR-203a-3p as a pivotal miRNA that promotes muscle atrophy by upregulating muscle ferroptosis.

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Nourishing the embryo with endosperm and enclosing both embryo and endosperm in the seed coat are two important evolutionary innovations. Seed coat is conventionally viewed as a protective layer that functions after the seed has matured. Here, we challenge this notion by showing that a subregion of the seed coat, termed the chalazal seed coat (CZSC), is geared to gate seed nutrition loading in developing seeds.

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Aim: To validate the role of the albumin-derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (ALB-dNLR) score in diagnosing malnutrition in medical inpatients over 70 years old.

Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study involving 7 departments from 14 Chinese hospitals. The ALB-dNLR score was calculated, and outcomes between groups with positive and negative ALB-dNLR scores were compared after propensity score matching (PSM).

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Cell fate determination and primordium initiation on the placental surface are two key events for ovule formation in seed plants, which directly affect ovule density and seed yield. Despite ovules form in the marginal meristematic tissues of the carpels, angiosperm carpels evolved after the ovules. It is not clear how the development of the ovules and carpels is coordinated in angiosperms.

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Objective: Whole-course nutrition management (WNM) has been proven to improve outcomes and reduce complications. We conducted this randomized controlled trial to validate its effectiveness in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy (PD).

Methods: From 1 December 2020, to 30 November 2023, this single-center randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Department of Hepatobiliopancreatic Surgery in a major hospital in Beijing, China.

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Floral meristem termination is a key step leading to carpel initiation and fruit development. The frequent occurrence of heat stress due to global warming often disrupts floral determinacy, resulting in defective fruit formation. However, the detailed mechanism behind this phenomenon is largely unknown.

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Objective: To analyze the correlation between preoperative nutritional status, frailty, sarcopenia, body composition, and anthropometry in geriatric inpatients undergoing major pancreatic and biliary surgery.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of the database from December 2020 to September 2022 in the department of hepatopancreatobiliary surgery, Beijing Hospital. Basal data, anthropometry, and body composition were recorded.

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Hair-like structures are shared by most living organisms. The hairs on plant surfaces, commonly referred to as trichomes, form diverse types to sense and protect against various stresses. However, it is unclear how trichomes differentiate into highly variable forms.

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Fruit malformation is a major constrain in fruit production worldwide resulting in substantial economic losses. The farmers for decades noticed that the chilling temperature before blooming often caused malformed fruits. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon is unclear.

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Cell wall lignification is a key step in forming functional endodermis and protoxylem (PX) in plant roots. Lignified casparian strips (CS) in endodermis and tracheary elements of PX are essential for selective absorption and transport of water and nutrients. Although multiple key regulators of CS and PX have been identified, the spatial information that drives the developmental shift to root lignification remains unknown.

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Nitrogen fixation in soybean takes place in root nodules that arise from de novo cell divisions in the root cortex. Although several early nodulin genes have been identified, the mechanism behind the stimulation of cortical cell division during nodulation has not been fully resolved. Here we provide evidence that two paralogs of soybean SHORT-ROOT (GmSHR) play vital roles in soybean nodulation.

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The precise regulation of asymmetric cell division (ACD) is essential for plant organogenesis. In Arabidopsis roots, SHORT-ROOT (SHR) functions to promote periclinal division in cortex/endodermis initials, which generate the ground tissue patterning. Although multiple downstream transcription factors and interplaying hormone pathways have been reported, the cellular mechanism that affects SHR-mediated periclinal division remains largely unclear.

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Suberin lamellae, which provide a hydrophobic protective barrier against biotic and abiotic stresses, are widely deposited in various cell types during plant development and in response to stress. However, it remains unclear how developmental programs interact with stress responses to direct the precise spatiotemporal pattern of suberin deposition. In this study, we found that SHORT-ROOT (SHR), together with its downstream factor MYB36, guided suberization specifically in the root endodermis.

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The Casparian strip in the root endodermis forms an apoplastic barrier between vascular tissues and outer ground tissues to enforce selective absorption of water and nutrients. Because of its cell-type specificity, the presence of a Casparian strip is used as a marker for a functional endodermis. Here, we examine the minimal regulators required for reprograming non-endodermal cells to build a functional Casparian strip.

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Casparian strip (CS) is an impregnation of endodermal cell wall, forming an apoplastic diffusion barrier which forces the symplastic and selective transport of nutrients across endodermis. This extracellular structure can be found in the roots of all higher plants and is thought to provide the protection of vascular tissues. In , a genetic toolbox regulating the formation of Casparian strips has emerged recently.

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Tissue organization and pattern formation within a multicellular organism rely on coordinated cell division and cell-fate determination. In animals, cell fates are mainly determined by a cell lineage-dependent mechanism, whereas in plants, positional information is thought to be the primary determinant of cell fates. However, our understanding of cell-fate regulation in plants mostly relies on the histological and anatomical studies on Arabidopsis () roots, which contain a single layer of each cell type in nonvascular tissues.

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