Title:Professor, Deputy Dean, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University. Member of the sugar Expert Steering Group, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

Email:yaowei@gxu.edu.cn

Telephone:+86 177762691

STUDY WORK HISTORY

--Jan.2017 - Present: Associate Professor,Professor. Principal Investigator, Key Lab of Sugarcane Biology in Guangxi, State Key Lab of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agri-Biological Resources, Guangxi University, China.

--From Jan.2019- Jan.2020: Indian River Research & Education Center, University of Florida.Fort Pierce, FL, US.

--Feb.2014–Dec.2016: Associate Professor. Biotechnology Research Center, Department of Biology, China Three Gorges University, China.

--Feb.2009–Jan. 2014: Postdoctoral Fellow,Department of Plant Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, US.

--Sept.2006–Jan.2009: Associate Professor. Biotechnology Research Center, Department of Biology, China Three Gorges University, China.

--Jul.2004 - Sept.2006: Lecturer. Biotechnology Research Center, Department of Biology, China Three Gorges University, China.

--Ph.D. 2004. Agriculturar Biology. Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China.

--B.S.1999. Biology. Yantai University, China.

TEACHING AREA

Molecular Mechanisms and Genetic Breeding for Disease Resistance in Sugarcane

RESEARCH INTEREST:

Molecular Biology & Biochemistry; Structural Biology; Neuroscience.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Yao lab's research mainly focuses on the key common technologies in sugarcane production in China and conducted fundamental and applied research on high sucrose yield, high productivity, and disease resistance in sugarcane. The research has been carried out at different levels, including the identification of important functional genes in sugarcane, analysis of disease resistance mechanisms, breeding of disease-resistant varieties, and propagation of virus-free healthy seedlings. Significant scientific achievements have been obtained in sugarcane breeding for disease resistance through the systematic analysis of pathogenic molecular mechanisms of viral and fungal diseases in sugarcane.

HONORARY AWARD

[1]In 2022,the first prize of the 2022 Guangxi Science and Technology Progress Award, "Breeding and application of a new sugarcane variety, Guiliu 05136" .

[2]In 2022, the second prize of the 2022 China Industry-Education-Research Collaboration Innovation Achievement Award. "Innovation and industrial application of high-sugar parent lines in sugarcane" .

PUBLICATIONS

[1]Zhen Huang, Yuming Zhou, Huixue Li, Yixue Bao, Zhenzhen Duan, Caixia Wang,Charles A Powell, Kai Wang, Qin Hu, Baoshan Chen, Jisen Zhang, Muqing Zhang, Wei Yao*. Identification of Common Fungal Extracellular Membrane (CFEM) proteins in Fusarium sacchari that inhibit plant immunity and contribute to virulence. Microbiology Spectrum, 2023, 16 (9).

[2]Caixia Wang#, Zhen Huang#, Zhenzhen Duan#, Lixiang Zhu, Ruolin Di,Yixue Bao, Charles A Powell, Qin Hu, Baoshan Chen,Muqing Zhang, Wei Yao*. Pectate Lyase from Fusarium sacchari Induces Plant Immune Responses and Contributes to Virulence. Microbiology Spectrum, 2023, 11 (3).

[3]Tianyou Wang#, Baiyu Wang#, Xiuting Hua#, Haibao Tang#, Zeyu Zhang, Ruiting Gao, Yiying Qi, Qing Zhang, Gang Wang, Zehuai Yu, Yongji Huang, Zhe Zhang, Jing Mei, YuhaoWang, Yixing Zhang, Yihan Li, Xue Meng, Yongjun Wang, Haoran Pan, Shuqi Chen, Zhen Li, Huihong Shi, Xinlong Liu, Zuhu Deng, Baoshan Chen, Muqing Zhang, Lianfeng Gu, Jianping Wang, Ray Ming, Wei Yao*, Jisen Zhang*. A complete gap-free diploid genome in Saccharum complex and the genomic footprints of evolution in the highly polyploid Saccharum genus. Nature Plants,2023,9:554–571.

[4]Zhe Chai#, Jinlan Fang#, Cuilin Huang, Run Huang, Xuan Tan, Baoshan Chen, Wei Yao*, Muqing Zhang*. A novel transcription factor, ScAIL1, modulates plant defense responses by targeting DELLA and regulating gibberellin and jasmonic acid signaling in sugarcane.Journal of Experimental Botany. 2022,73（19）:6727-6743.

[5]Zhen Huang, Huixue Li, Yuming Zhou, Yixue Bao, Zhenzhen Duan, Caixia Wang, Charles A. Powell, Baoshan Chen, Muqing Zhang, Wei Yao*. Predication of the effector proteins secreted by Fusarium sacchari using genomic analysis and heterogenous expression. Journal of Fungi. 2022, 8(1):59.