Deyang Xu

Deyang Xu

Scientific Advisor

Primary fields of research

I am working on the molecular mechanisms underlying the distribution of plant specialized metabolites and their biological significance in planta, including the following four subareas:

  • Identification and characterization of glucosinolate transport complement
  • Pathway and transport engineering of specialized metabolites
  • Chemical communication in beneficial plant-microbe interaction
  • Unleashing the potential of rapeseed cake as a healthy protein source for human consumption

Current research

I study cellular communication in plants and probe how plants exploit chemical language to interact with other organisms.

In nature, plants actively adjust their metabolism to cooperate with their competitive surroundings for survival and reproduction. In contrast to their sessile producer, specialized metabolites- the chemical language of plant cells- show remarkable mobility within and across organisms, especially in the response to environmental stimuli. The molecular mechanism underlying the secretion of specialized metabolites for beneficial cellular communication is largely under-explored. We implement multi-omics tools at tissue-specific and single-cell resolution to identify key genes contributing to plant fitness when growing in natural soils, with a particular focus on genes in the mobilization of signalling molecules between cells. We also developed a phenotype-driven screen platform and use it to identify novel beneficial microbes with high persistence and invasiveness to mitigate the general low efficiency of available microbial inoculants in the field application.

External funding

2021-2022  Innoexplorer, Innovation Fund Denmark (1.4m DKK)

2022-2026  Thematic research - Green transition, Independent Research Fund Denmark (2.9m DKK)

Teaching

Supervision

Aug 2022-present Co-supervising two PhD students on plant cellular communication

Feb 2021-present Co-supervising one PhD student on beneficial plant-microbe interaction

Oct 2018-present Co-supervising one PhD student on ABC transporters

Jul 2016-present Co-supervising 9 MSc students and 2 BSc students,  Projects outside course scope:  2 students.

Course:

Lecture and lab exercise “plant transformation” in BSc course Experimental Molecular Biology (2019 - present )

Certification:

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (2019) (Universitetspædagogikum), University of Copenhagen

Selected publications

  1. Published

    Export of defensive glucosinolates is key for their accumulation in seeds

    Xu, Deyang, Sanden, Niels Christian Holm, Hansen, Line Lykke, Belew, Zeinu Mussa, Madsen, S. R., Meyer, L., Jørgensen, M. E., Hunziker, P., Veres, D., Crocoll, C., Schulz, Alexander, Nour-Eldin, Hussam Hassan & Halkier, Barbara Ann, 2023, In: Nature. 617, p. 132-138

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  2. Published

    The ins and outs of transporters at plasma membrane and tonoplast in plant specialized metabolism: [Correction]

    Xu, Deyang & Halkier, Barbara Ann, 2022, In: Natural Product Reports. 39, 7, p. 1483-1491

    Research output: Contribution to journalReviewpeer-review

  3. Published

    GTR-Mediated Radial Import Directs Accumulation of Defensive Glucosinolates to Sulfur-Rich Cells in the Phloem Cap of Arabidopsis Inflorescence Stem

    Xu, Deyang, Hunziker, P., Koroleva, O., Blennow, Andreas, Crocoll, C., Schulz, Alexander, Nour-Eldin, Hussam Hassan & Halkier, Barbara Ann, 2019, In: Molecular Plant. 12, 11, p. 1474-1484

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  4. Published

    Harnessing beneficial microbes from Danish natural soils to biostimulate plant nutrition

    Xu, Deyang, Dethier, L. & Halkier, Barbara Ann, 13 Nov 2022.

    Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference abstract for conferenceResearch

  5. Published

    An NPF transporter exports a central monoterpene indole alkaloid intermediate from the vacuole

    Payne, R., Xu, Deyang, Foureau, E., Ines Soares Teto Carqueijeiro, M., Oudin, A., Dugé de Bernonville, T., Novák, V., Burow, Meike, Olsen, C. E., Jones, D. M., C. Tatsis, E., Pendleton, A., Halkier, Barbara Ann, Geu-Flores, Fernando, Courdavault, V., Nour-Eldin, Hussam Hassan & O'Connor, S. E., 2017, In: Nature Plants. 3, 9 p., 16208.

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  6. Published

    Origin and evolution of transporter substrate specificity within the NPF family: [with Correction]

    Jørgensen, M. E., Xu, Deyang, Crocoll, C., Ernst, H. A., Ramírez, D., Motawie, Mohammed Saddik, Olsen, C. E., Mirza, Osman Asghar, Nour-Eldin, Hussam Hassan & Halkier, Barbara Ann, 2017, In: eLife. 6, 30 p., e19466.

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  7. Published

    Rhizosecretion of stele-synthesized glucosinolates and their catabolites requires GTR-mediated import in Arabidopsis

    Xu, Deyang, Hanschen, F. S., Witzel, K., Kjeldgaard-Nintemann, Sebastian J, Nour-Eldin, Hussam Hassan, Schreiner, M. & Halkier, Barbara Ann, 2017, In: Journal of Experimental Botany. 68, 12, p. 3205-3214 10 p.

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

ID: 40444984