Research output per year
Research output per year
Ph.D.
Thorvaldsensvej 40
1871 Frederiksberg C
Deyang’s research focus on understanding mechanisms underlining plant communication cross membrane borders, especially at the maternal-filial interface and the interface between plant epidermis and phyllosphere and rhizosphere. This will provide breeding targets to improve nutritional value and plant resilience to (a)biotic stress of oilseed protein crop e.g. rapeseed.
Basic research question: How do plants communicate? Plants produce chemical languages to communicate. From the site of synthesis to their site of function, those chemicals need to cross internal borders (e.g. at the maternal-filial interface) and cross external borders (e.g. interface between plant epidermis and phyllosphere and rhizosphere).
Impact: Elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying plant communication will provide breeding targets to improve seed nutritional value (e.g. removing antinutritional compounds) and plant resilience to (a)biotic stress. Currently, I implement single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to identify key genes expressed at the essential cellular transport barriers in major oilseed crops. Ultimately, I want to develop oilseed crops as ideal protein sources for human consumption in sustainable agriculture.
Expertise: Plant membrane transport of specialized metabolites/Pathway and transport engineering/Gene discovery using multi-omics
I have been using glucosinolate defense compounds as a model system to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the synthesis, transport and storage of metabolites and their biological significance in plant communication, including but not limited to the following three subareas:
First and/or corresponding authors of 9 peer-reviewed papers in high-ranking journals (E.g. Nature, Nature Plants, Molecular Plant). Grantee of >10M DKK in external funding. Speaker at high-profile international forums and conferences (e.g. Plant Biology Europe, International Workshop on Plant Membrane Biology). Danish representative of the international PlantACT initiative. Active referee of journals (E.g. Molecular Plant, Plant Communication, Plant Physiology, Plant Biotechnology Journal, New Phytologist) and editorial board member of journals (e.g. Science China Life Sciences and Fundamental Research). Active in teaching, censor and supervision (supervised 20+ PhD, MSc and BSc students and 2 postdocs).
External funding
2024-2025 |
PI in Innoexplorer Innovation Foundation Denmark (DKK 1.5M) |
2023-2026 |
PI in Novo Nordisk Foundation Project Grant, (DKK 3.0M) |
2023-2024 |
PI in Innoexplorer, Innovation Foundation Denmark (DKK 1.5M) |
2023-2024 |
co-applicant in Pioneer Innovator, Novo Nordisk Foundation, (DKK 1M) |
2023-2027 |
PI in Theme Project Green transition, DFF-FNU (DKK 2.9 M) |
2021-2027 |
Patner in Villum Investigator Program, Partner (Total DKK 30M) |
Supervision (2016-) : Postdocs: Niels Christian Holm Sanden (Denmark), Carmina Falcato Cabral (Portugal); PhD students: Line Lykke Hansen (Denmark), Laura Dethier (Belgium), Shiwen Yang (China), Fangfei Niu (China), Ruochen Li (China), Jakob Skytte Thorsen (Denmark) ; BSc and MSc students: 9 MSc theses, 1 BSc thesis, 3 ERASMUS internship MSc students and 4 DAAD internship BSc students, 3 Projects outside course scope (PUK)
Teahcing (2019-) : Lectures: Frontiers in Plant Science (MSc course 2024), Experimental Molecular Biology (EMB) (BSc course 2019-2023) Bioactive Food Components and Health (2019) Lab exercises: Lab exercise in EMB, BSc course (2020-2023), Biochemistry, BSc course, (2021-2022)
Feedbacks from students: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deyang-xu-778b1358/details/recommendations/
Certificate: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (Universitetspædagogikum) (2019)
Aug 2016 – June 2021 |
Assistant Professor |
DNRF DynaMo Center, University of Copenhagen |
July 2021 - 30th Jun 2027 |
Partner |
Villum Investigator program, University of Copenhagen |
Aug 2012 - Aug 2016 |
Postdoc |
DNRF DynaMo Center, University of Copenhagen |
Sep 2007- Jul 2012 |
PhD |
Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. |
Sep 2003- Jul 2007 |
BSc |
Northwest Agriculture University, China |
My most significant contribution to science is advancing our understanding of the mechanism for the distribution patterns of metabolites at the cellular and subcellular levels. I have identified several transporters of specialized metabolites and revealed transport routes. This includes the route from the site of synthesis to high-level accumulation of glucosinolates - the major defense compounds in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana - in the vacuole of the storage S-cell, as well as the route to the rhizosphere. Recently, I discovered the long-sought exporters that are essential for glucosinolate seed loading. The glucosinolate exporter and importer pairs allow us to elucidate the full apoplast route of metabolites loaded into seed, which fills the missing knowledge gaps based on study transporters of primary metabolites.
My PhD study elucidated molecular mechanisms on how cell division is coordinated with cell differentiation during organ patterning, using Elongator acetyltransferase complex and microRNA396 in Arabidopsis leaf polarity establishment as a model system.
Cell cycle regulation and leaf patterning, Ph.D, CAS - Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences
1 Sep 2007 → 1 Jun 2012
Award Date: 1 Jul 2012
Seed science and engineering, Bachelor, Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University
1 Sep 2003 → 1 Jul 2007
Award Date: 1 Sep 2007
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to conference › Conference abstract for conference › Research
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review