Yu-Liang Yang

Associate Research Fellow
​Deputy Director
Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center
​Academia Sinica
Google Scholar
Dr. Yu-Liang Yang achieved his PhD from the Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan. The early stages of his research journey were dedicated to the study of secondary metabolites and complex carbohydrates from thermophilic microorganisms at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, between 2004 and 2008. Further expanding his expertise, he worked with Prof. Pieter C. Dorrestein at UCSD from 2009 to 2011, focusing on the development of cutting-edge imaging mass spectrometry methods for microbial natural products research.
In 2011, Dr. Yang joined the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center (ABRC), Academia Sinica, as a Principal Investigator, where his intellectual curiosity and diligence drove his work. In 2021, his team transitioned to the Biotechnology Center in Southern Taiwan, ABRC, located on the Tainan campus of Academia Sinica. Dr. Yang's research objectives center on understanding microbial interactions, discovering new natural products and their roles using a broad multi-omics approach, and developing biocontrol strategies against agricultural diseases. He presently holds the position of deputy director at ABRC, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to the field.
Dr. Yang's exceptional contributions have not gone unnoticed, earning him numerous prestigious awards throughout his career. He was honored with the Li Foundation Heritage Prize for "Excellence in Creativity" in 2012, and was included in the Analytical Scientist's 2014 "Top 40 Under 40" researchers. In 2016, he received the Ta-You Wu Memorial Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan. Most recently, in 2022, his work was celebrated with the Outstanding Paper Award by The Society of Chinese Natural Medicine in Taiwan.
Beyond his impactful research pursuits, Dr. Yang contributes his expertise as an editor for mSystems, a well-regarded journal published by the American Society of Microbiology. His significant academic contributions are reflected in over 90 publications in prestigious journals such as Nature Biotechnology, Nature Chemical Biology, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Natural Product Reports, Journal of the American Chemical Society, and Angewandte Chemie International Edition. Through these outlets, Dr. Yang's insights continue to shape the fields of natural products chemistry and mass spectrometry.

Selected Publication

  1. Wei-Chih Chin, Yang-Zhi Zhou, Hao-Yung Wang, Yu-Ting Feng, Ru-Yin Yang, Zih-Fang Huang, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2024, “Bacterial Polyynes Uncovered: A Journey Through Their Bioactive Properties, Biosynthetic Mechanisms, and Sustainable Production Strategies”, Nat. Prod. Rep., 41, 977-989. (Selected as the cover picture)
  2. Wachiraporn Toopaang, Warapon Bunnak, Chettida Srisuksam, Wilawan Wattananukit, Morakot Tanticharoen, Yu-Liang Yang*, Alongkorn Amnuaykanjanasin*, 2022, “Microbial Polyketides and Their Roles in Insect Virulence: from Genomics to Biological functions”, Nat. Prod. Rep., 39, 2008-2029. (Selected as the cover picture)
  3. Ching-Chih Lin, Sin Yong Hoo, Li-Ting Ma, Chih Lin, Kai-Fa Huang, Ying-Ning Ho, Chi-Hui Sun, Han-Jung Lee, Pi-Yu Chen, Lin-Jie Shu, Bo-Wei Wang, Wei-Chen Hsu, Tzu-Ping Ko, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2022, “Integrated Omics Approach to Unveil Antifungal Bacterial Polyynes as Acetyl-CoA Acetyltransferase Inhibitors”, Commun. Biol., 5, 454.
  4. Shang-Tse Ho, Ying-Ning Ho, Chih Lin, Wei-Chen Hsu, Han-Jung Lee, Chia-Chi Peng, Han-Tan Cheng, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2021, “Integrated Omics Strategy Reveals Cyclic Lipopeptides Empedopeptins from Massilia sp. YMA4 and their Biosynthetic Pathway”, Mar. Drugs, 19, 209.
  5. Ying-Ning Ho, Sin Yong Hoo, Bo-Wei Wang, Chi-Ting Hsieh, Ching-Chih Lin, Chi-Hui Sun, Chia-Chi Peng, Chih Lin, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2021, “Specific Inactivation of an Anti-fungal Bacterial Siderophore by a Fungal Plant Pathogen”, ISME J., 15, 1858-1861. (nature portfolio: https://go.nature.com/2O1a12v)
  6. Ewelina P. Dutkiewicz, Chun-Han Su, Han-Jung Lee, Cheng-Chih Hsu* and Yu-Liang Yang*, 2021, “Visualizing Vinca Alkaloids in the Petal of Catharanthus roseus Using Functionalized Titanium Oxide Nanowire Substrate for Surface-assisted Laser Desorption/ionization Imaging Mass Spectrometry”, Plant J., 105, 1123-1133.
  7. Pi-Yu Chen, Chi-Ying Hsieh, Chao-Jen Shih, Yuan-Jing Lin, Chia-Wen Tsao, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2018, “Exploration of Fungal Metabolic Interactions Using Imaging Mass Spectrometry on Nanostructured Silicon”, J. Nat. Prod., 81, 1527-1533.
  8. Yi-Shu Chiu, Pi-Yu Chen, Tung Kuan, Po-Chuan Wang, Ying-Ju, Chen, Yu-Liang Yang*, Hsin-Hung Yeh*, 2018, “A Polysaccharide Derived from Trichosporon sp. Culture Metabolite Strongly Primes Plant Resistance to Viruses”, Mol. Plant Microbe. Interact., 31, 1257-1270.
  9. Ying-Ning Ho, Han-Jung Lee, Chi-Ting Hsieh, Chia-Chi Peng, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2018, “Chemistry and Biology of Salicyl-capped Siderophores”, Stud. Nat. Prod. Chem., 59, 431-490.
  10. ​Lin-Jie Shu, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2017, “Bacillus Classification Based on Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry-Effects of Culture Conditions”, Sci. Rep., 7, 15546.
  11. Ying-Ning Ho, Lin-Jie Shu, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2017, “Imaging Mass Spectrometry for Metabolites: Technical Progress, Multimodal Imaging and Biological Interactions”, Wiley Interdiscip. Rev. Syst. Biol. Med., 9, e1387.
  12. Wen-Jen Chen, Tzu-Yen Kuo, Feng-Chia Hsieh, Pi-Yu Chen, Chang-Sheng Wang, Yu-Ling Shih, Ying-Mi Lai, Je-Ruei Liu, Yu-Liang Yang*, Ming-Che Shih*, 2016, “Involvement of Type VI Secretion System in Secretion of Iron Chelator Pyoverdine in Pseudomonas taiwanensis”, Sci. Rep., 6, 32950.
  13. Chao-Jen Shih, Sheng-Chung Chen, Chieh-Yin Weng, Mei-Chin Lai*, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2015, “Rapid Identification of Haloarchaea and Methanoarchaea Using the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/ionization Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry”, Sci. Rep., 5, 16326.
  14. Chih-Chuang Liaw*, Pei-Chin Chen, Chao-Jen Shih, Sung-Pin Tseng, Ying-Mi Lai, Chi-Hsin Hsu, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2015, “Vitroprocines, New Antibiotics against Acinetobacter baumannii, Discovered from Marine Vibrio sp. QWI-06 Using Mass-spectrometry-based Metabolomics Approach”, Sci. Rep., 5, 12856.
  15. Chih-Chuang Liaw*, Yu-Liang Yang, Chun-Kuang Lin, Jin-Ching Lee, Wen-Ying Liao, Chia-Ning Shen, Jyh-Horng Sheu, Shih-Hsiung Wu*, 2015, “New Meroterpenoids from Aspergillus terreus with Inhibition of Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression”, Org. Lett., 17, 2330-2333. (Equal contribution as first author)
  16. Chao-Jen Shih, Pi-Yu Chen, Chih-Chuang Liaw, Ying-Mi Lai, Yu-Liang Yang*, 2014, “Bring Microbial Interactions to Light Using Imaging Mass Spectrometry”, Nat. Prod. Rep., 31, 739-755. (Selected as the cover picture)
  17. David J. Gonzalez, Yuquan Xu, Yu-Liang Yang, Eduardo Esquenazi, Wei-Ting Liu, Anna Edlund, Tram Duong, Liangcheng Du, István Molnár, William H. Gerwick, Paul R. Jensen, Michael Fischbach, Chih-Chuang Liaw, Paul Straight, Victor Nizet, Pieter C. Dorrestein*, 2012, “Observing the Invisible through Imaging Mass Spectrometry, a Window into the Metabolic Exchange Patterns of Microbes”, J. Proteomics, 75, 5069-5076. (Equal contribution as first author)
  18. Roland D. Kersten, Yu_Liang Yang, Yuquan Xu, Peter Cimermancic, Sang-Jip Nam, William Fenical, Michael Fischbach, Bradley S. Moore*, Pieter C. Dorrestein*, 2011, “A Mass Spectrometry-guided Genome Mining Approach for Natural Product Peptidogenomics”, Nat. Chem. Biol., 7, 794-802.
  19. Yu-Liang Yang, Yuquan Xu, Roland Kersten, Wei-Ting Liu, Michael Meehan, Bradley S. Moore, Nuno Bandeira, Pieter C. Dorrestein*, 2011 “Connecting Chemotypes and Phenotypes of Cultured Marine Microbial Assemblages by Imaging Mass Spectrometry”, Angew. Chem. Int. ed., 50, 5839-5842. (Selected as the cover picture)
  20. Maio-Hsia Lin, Yu-Liang Yang, Yen-Po Chen, Keng-Chang Tsai, An-Suei Yang, Fuu Sheu, Guang-Huey Lin, San-San Tsay, Shu-Mei Liang*, Shih-Hsiung Wu*, 2011, “A Novel Exopolysaccharide from the Biofilm of Thermus aquaticus YT-1 induces the Immune Response through Toll-like receptor 2”, J. Biol. Chem., 286, 17736-17745. (Equal contribution as first author)
  21. Wei-Ting Liu, Yu-Liang Yang, Yuquan Xu, Anne Lamsa, Nina M Haste, Jane Y. Yang, Julio Ng, David Gonzalez, Craig D. Ellermeier, Paul D. Straight, Pavel A. Pevzner, Joe Pogliano, Victor Nizet, Kit Pogliano, Pieter C. Dorrestein*, 2010, “Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Intraspecies Metabolic Exchange Revealed the Cannibalistic Factors of Bacillus subtilis”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 107, 16286-16290. (Equal contribution as first author, selected by Faculty of 1000 Biology “Must Read”)
  22. Yu-Liang Yang, Feng-Ling Yang, Zih-You Huang, Yu-Hsuan Tsai, Wei Zou, Shih-Hsiung Wu*, 2010, “Structural Variation of Glycolipids from Meiothermus taiwanensis ATCC BAA-400 under Different Growth Temperatures”, Org. Biomol. Chem., 8, 4252-4254.
  23. Eduardo Esquenazi, Yu-Liang Yang, Jeramie Watrous, William H. Gerwick*, Pieter C. Dorrestein*, 2009, “Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Natural Products”, Nat. Prod. Rep., 26, 1521-1534. (Equal contribution as first author, selected as the cover picture)
  24. Yu-Liang Yang, Yuquan Xu, Paul Straight*, Pieter C. Dorrestein*, 2009, “Translating Metabolic Exchanging with Imaging Mass Spectrometry”, Nat. Chem. Biol., 5, 885-887. (Selected by Faculty of 1000 Biology “Recommended”)
  25. Yu-Liang Yang, Wen-Ying Liao, Wan-Yun Liu, Chih-Chuang Liaw, Chia-Ning Shen, Zih-You Huang, Shih-Hsiung Wu*, 2009, “Discovery of New Natural Products by Intact-cell Mass Spectrometry and LC-SPE-NMR--Malbranpyrroles, Novel Polyketides from Thermophilic Fungus Malbranchea sulfurea”, Chem.--Eur. J., 15, 11573-11580.
  26. Chambers C. Hughes, Yu-Liang Yang, Wei-Ting Liu, Pieter C. Dorrestein*, William Fenical*, James J. La Clair*, 2009, “Natural Product Target Elucidation by Acyl Dye Transfer”, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 131, 12094-12096.
  27. Yu-Liang Yang, Kuo-Feng Hua, Pei-Hsuan Chuang, Shih-Hsiung Wu, Kuen-Yuh Wu, Fang-Rong Chang, Yang-Chang Wu*, 2008, “New Cyclic Peptides from the Seeds of Annona squamosa L. and Their Anti-inflammatory Activities”, J. Agric. Food Chem., 56, 386-392.
  28. Yu-Liang Yang, Chun-Ping Lu, Mao-Yen Chen, Kuei-Yu Chen, Yang-Chang Wu, Shih-Hsiung Wu*, 2007, “Cytotoxic Polyketides Containing Tetramic Acid Moieties Isolated from the Fungus Myceliophthora thermophila: Elucidation of the Relationship between Cytotoxicity and Stereoconfiguration”, Chem.--Eur. J., 13, 6985-6991.
  29. Yu-Liang Yang, Feng-Ling Yang, Shu-Chuan Jao, Mao-Yen Chen, San-San Tsay, Wei Zou, Shih-Hsiung Wu*, 2006, “Structural Elucidation of Phosphoglycolipids from Strains of the Bacterial Thermophiles Thermus and Meiothermus”, J. Lipid Res., 47, 1823-1832.
  30. Yu-Liang Yang, Fang-Rong Chang, Chin-Chung Wu, Wei-Ya Wang, Yang-Chang Wu*, 2002, “New ent-Kaurane Diterpenoids with Anti-platelet Aggregation Activity from Annona squamosa”, J. Nat. Prod., 65, 1462-1467.
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