Curriculum Vitae

I. Personal Information

Yaxi Xu, Ph.D., Lecturer.

Dr. Xu received her B.S. degree in Agronomy from Northwest A&F University in 2014 and obtained her Ph.D. degree from the same university in 2019. She completed postdoctoral research at China Agricultural University in 2022.

Dr. Xu is mainly engaged in research on the genetic regulatory mechanisms underlying important economic traits in poultry, with particular focus on fat deposition, reproductive performance, and environmental adaptability. Her research integrates genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, molecular marker screening, and functional validation approaches to identify key genes and regulatory networks associated with complex traits in poultry.

Dr. Xu currently teaches undergraduate courses including Animal Genetics, Cell Biology, Animal Breeding, Biostatistics, and Companion Animal Reproduction and Breeding, as well as the graduate course Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis for Animal Science. She emphasizes the integration of theoretical knowledge with practical research training and has been awarded the title of “Excellent Instructor” for student competition guidance. ORCID: 0000-0001-9879-6147

II. Research Interests

Molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying fat metabolism and fat deposition in poultry, Molecular mechanisms of host–microbiota interactions regulating feed efficiency in ducks, Development of molecular markers and traceability detection methods for geographical indication poultry genetic resources, Multi-omics integration analysis for economically important traits in poultry

III. Research Projects

1. National Natural Science Foundation of China (Young Scientists Fund); Transcriptomic Analysis of Embryonic Tail Development Reveals the Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms of Tail Length Variation in Sheep; Principal Investigator, 2022–2023.

2. National Key Research and Development Program of China; Breeding Technologies for Important Economic Traits in Ducks and Geese; Participant, 2023–2028.

3. Beijing Rural Revitalization Agricultural Science and Technology Reserve Project; Development and Application of Traceability Markers and Detection Methods for Geographical Indication Beijing Duck and Beijing You Chicken; Participant, 2025–2026.

IV. Major Achievements

(I) Representative Papers

1. Xu, Ya-Xi; Xu, Ke-Yi; Wang, Lu-Yao; Zhu, Li-Yang; Long, Cheng; Lin, Zi-Li; Dou, Jin-Huan; Wang, Xiang-Guo; Qi, Xiao-Long; Chen, Li; Sheng, Xi-Hui. Comparative morphological and lipidomic profiling of abdominal adipose tissue in Beijing You chickens at different ages and Ross 308 broilers. Poultry Science, 2025, 104(10): 105613.

2. Guo, Shi-Hao#; Cong, Bai-Lin#; Zhu, Li-Yang; Zhang, Yao; Yang, Ying; Qi, Xiao-Long; Wang, Xiang-Guo; Xiao, Long-Fei; Long, Cheng; Xu, Ya-Xi; Sheng, Xi-Hui. Whole transcriptome sequencing of testis and epididymis reveals genes associated with sperm development in roosters. BMC Genomics, 2024, 25, 1029. (co-corresponding author)

3. Xu, Ya-Xi; Wang, Bo; Jing, Jia-Nan; Ma, Rui; Luo, Yan-Hui; Li, Xin; Yan, Ze; Liu, Ya-Jing; Gao, Lei; Ren, Yan-Ling; Li, Meng-Hua; Lv, Feng-Hua. Whole-body adipose tissue multi-omic analyses in sheep reveal molecular mechanisms underlying local adaptation to extreme environments. Communications Biology, 2023, 6, 159.

4. Xu, Ya-Xi; Zhang, Bo; Zhao, Rui; Gao, Ke-Xin; Liang, Su-Yun; Wu, Yong-Bao; Hao, Yong-Sheng; Liu, Da-Peng; Guo, Zhan-Bao; Hu, Jian; Zhou, Zheng-Kui; Xie, Ming; Hou, Shui-Sheng; Tang, Jing. Effect of riboflavin deficiency on intestinal morphology, jejunum mucosa proteomics, and cecal microbiota of Pekin ducks, Animal Nutrition, 2023, 12: 215-226.  

5. Xu, Ya-Xi; Hu, Jian; Fan, Wen-Lei; Liu, He-He; Zhang, Yun-Sheng; Guo, Zhan-Bao; Huang, Wei; Liu, Xiao-Lin; Hou, Shui-Sheng. Genome-wide association analysis reveals 6 copy number variations associated with the number of cervical vertebrae in Pekin ducks. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2022, 10: 1041088.

6. Chen, Ze-Hui; Xu, Ya-Xi; Xie, Xing-Long; Wang, Dong-Feng; Aguilar Gómez, Diana; Liu, Guang-Jian; Li, Xin; Esmailizadeh, Ali; Rezaei, Vahideh; Kantanen, Juha; Ammosov, Innokentyi; Nosrati, Maryam; Periasamy, Kathiravan; Coltman, David W.; Lenstra, Johannes A.; Nielsen, Rasmus; Li, Meng-Hua. Whole-genome sequence analysis unveils different origins of European and Asiatic mouflon and domestication-related genes in sheep, Communications Biology, 2021, 4, 1307. (co-first author)

7. Salehian-Dehkordi, Hosein; Xu, Ya-Xi; Xu, Song-Song; Li, Xin; Luo, Ling-Yun; Liu, Ya-Jing; Wang, Dong-Feng; Cao, Yin-Hong; Shen, Min; Gao, Lei; Chen, Ze-Hui; Glessner, Joseph T.; Lenstra, Johannes A.; Esmailizadeh, Ali; Li, Meng-Hua; Lv, Feng-Hua. Genome-Wide Detection of Copy Number Variations and Their Association With Distinct Phenotypes in the World's Sheep, Frontiers in Genetics, 2021, 12, 670582. (co-first author)

8. Li, Xin; Yang, Ji; Shen, Min; Xie, Xing-Long; Liu, Guang-Jian; Xu, Ya-Xi; Lv, Feng-Hua; Yang, Hua; Yang, Yong-Lin; Liu, Chang-Bin; Zhou, Ping; Wan, Peng-Cheng; Zhang, Yun-Sheng; Gao, Lei; Yang, Jing-Quan; Pi, Wen-Hui; Ren, Yan-Ling; Shen, Zhi-Qiang; Wang, Feng; Deng, Juan; Xu, Song-Song; Salehian-Dehkordi, Hosein; Hehua, Eer; Esmailizadeh, Ali; Dehghani-Qanatqestani, Mostafa; Tpnek, Ondej; Weimann, Christina; Erhardt, Georg; Amane, Agraw; Mwacharo, Joram M.; Han, Jian-Lin;Hanotte, Olivier; Lenstra, Johannes A.; Kantanen, Juha; Coltman, David W.; Kijas, James W.; Bruford, Michael W.; Periasamy, Kathiravan; Wang, Xin-Hua; Li, Meng-Hua. Whole-genome resequencing of wild and domestic sheep identifies genes associated with morphological and agronomic traits, Nature Communications, 2020, 11, 2815.

9. Xu, Ya-Xi; Liu, He-He; Jiang, Yong; Fan, Wen-Lei; Hu, Jian; Zhang, Yun-Sheng; Guo, Zhan-Bao; Xie, Ming; Huang, Wei; Liu, Xiao-Lin; Zhou, Zheng-Kui; Hou, Shui-Sheng. Genome-wide association studies reveal genetic loci associated with plasma cholinesterase activity in ducks. Animal Genetics, 2019, 50(3): 287-292.

(II) Authorized Patent

1. Shuisheng Hou, Zhengkui Zhou, Zhanbao Guo, Wenlei Fan, Yaxi Xu, Yunsheng Zhang. A Molecular Marker Associated with Feed Conversion Efficiency Traits in Meat Ducks and Its Application; CN201810200137.X; 2019.

V. Contact Information

Postal address: College of Animal Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, No. 7, Beinong Road, Huilongguan, Changping, Beijing, 102206

Email: xyx19920622@163.com