Julian Schwerdt

Research Interests

Bioinformatics

Dr Julian Schwerdt

Grant-Funded Researcher (B)

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

College of Science

I'm a computational biologist and began my scientific career as a software developer building biological databases in the UK. I returned to Australia to take up a position at the South Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing (SAPAC) as a Bioinformatics Specialist. This involved a close association with the Australian Centre for Plant Function Genomics (ACPFG) which in turn lead to a Ph.D and post-doctoral position at the ACPFG and the ARC CoE for Plant Cell Walls. My interests are in protein family evolution, coevolution networks and recently biological applications for machine learning.

My Ph.D research focused on the evolutionary history and dynamics of the cellulose synthase superfamily in the angiosperms (flowering plants). This aimed to explore how a family of proteins have evolved to produce the diversity of carbohydrates we consume for food, fuel and materials. We reconstructed molecular sequence evolution to infer when protein families evolved and how natural selection has shaped this process. The association of this snippet of evolution with other observed changes such as morphology and protein structural elements can now be used to predict protein function and other characteristics of a stubbornly inscrutable protein superfamily.

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As a postdoctoral researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Cell Walls, my present research focuses on understanding the synthesis and interactions of cell wall carbohydrates and their evolution in the context of plant survival strategies and interactions with fungal pathogens. I use computational methods related to phylogenetics, genomics, transcriptomics, and homology modeling. My currents projects include:

  • Plant genome assembly
  • Phylogenetics of cell wall associated enzyme pathway
  • Reconstructing the sequences of ancestral proteins
  • Coevolution network analysis
  • Applications of machine learning methodologies to phenotyping

Date Position Institution name
2017 - ongoing Post-doctoral researcher ARC CoE Plant Cell Walls
2012 - ongoing Bioinformatician ARC CoE Plant Cell Walls
2004 - 2008 Bioinformatics Computer Specialist South Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing

Year Citation
2025 van der Hulst, L., Herliana, L., Hassan, A. S., Schwerdt, J. G., Shirley, N., Ford, C. M., . . . Wilkinson, K. L. (2025). Transcription Profiling of Glycosyltransferases in Vitis vinifera Cultivars Following Smoke Exposure. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 73(35), 22046-22058.
DOI
2025 Krishnan, M., Petrovic, T., Schwerdt, J. G., Merriam, A. B., Hereward, J. P., & Preston, C. (2025). A novel mutation in SoIAA20 confers cross-resistance to 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and other auxinic herbicides in Sonchus oleraceus. Pest Management Science, 81(1), 141-148.
DOI Scopus9 WoS8 Europe PMC7
2023 Venkataraghavan, A., Schwerdt, J. G., Tyerman, S. D., & Hrmova, M. (2023). Barley Nodulin 26-like intrinsic protein permeates water, metalloids, saccharides, and ion pairs due to structural plasticity and diversification. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 299(12), 105410-1-105410-14.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
2023 Herliana, L., Schwerdt, J. G., Neumann, T. R., Severn-Ellis, A., Phan, J. L., Cowley, J. M., . . . Burton, R. A. (2023). A chromosome-level genome assembly of Plantago ovata. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 1528-1-1528-14.
DOI Scopus9 WoS8 Europe PMC8
2023 Clayton-Cuch, D., McDougal, D., Schwerdt, J. G., Yu, L., Shirley, N., Bradley, D., . . . Bulone, V. (2023). Identification and characterisation of MdUGT78T2 as a galactosyltransferase with dual activity on flavonol and anthocyanidin substrates in red-skinned apple fruit (Malus domestica L.). Food Chemistry, 424, 12 pages.
DOI Scopus6 WoS4 Europe PMC4
2023 Hrmova, M., & Schwerdt, J. G. (2023). Molecular mechanisms of processive glycoside hydrolases underline catalytic pragmatism. Biochemical Society Transactions, 51(3), 1387-1403.
DOI Scopus8 WoS8 Europe PMC8
2022 Lou, H., Tucker, M. R., Shirley, N. J., Lahnstein, J., Yang, X., Ma, C., . . . Bulone, V. (2022). The cellulose synthase-like F3 (CslF3) gene mediates cell wall polysaccharide synthesis and affects root growth and differentiation in barley. The Plant Journal, 110(6), 1681-1699.
DOI Scopus9 WoS9 Europe PMC8
2022 Luang, S., Fernández-Luengo, X., Nin-Hill, A., Streltsov, V. A., Schwerdt, J. G., Alonso-Gil, S., . . . Hrmova, M. (2022). The evolutionary advantage of an aromatic clamp in plant family 3 glycoside exo-hydrolases. Nature Communications, 13(1), 5577-1-5577-19.
DOI Scopus7 WoS8 Europe PMC9
2021 Schwerdt, J., Qiu, H., Shirley, N., Little, A., & Bulone, V. (2021). Phylogenomic analyses of nucleotide-sugar biosynthetic and interconverting enzymes illuminate cell wall composition in fungi. mBio, 12(2), 1-14.
DOI Scopus14 WoS13 Europe PMC9
2021 Kuijer, H. N. J., Shirley, N. J., Khor, S. F., Shi, J., Schwerdt, J., Zhang, D., . . . Burton, R. A. (2021). Transcript Profiling of MIKCc MADS-Box Genes Reveals Conserved and Novel Roles in Barley Inflorescence Development. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 1-23.
DOI Scopus21 WoS20 Europe PMC17
2020 Stratilová, B., Šesták, S., Mravec, J., Garajova, S., Pakanová, Z., Vadinová, K., . . . Hrmova, M. (2020). Another building block in the plant cell wall: Barley xyloglucan xyloglucosyl transferases link covalently xyloglucan and anionic oligosaccharides derived from pectin. The Plant Journal, 104(3), 752-767.
DOI Scopus26 WoS21 Europe PMC14
2020 Betts, N. S., Collins, H. M., Shirley, N. J., Cuesta-Seijo, J. A., Schwerdt, J. G., Phillips, R. J., . . . Bulone, V. (2020). Identification and spatio-temporal expression analysis of barley genes that encode putative modular xylanolytic enzymes. Plant Science, 308, 1-12.
DOI Scopus1
2019 Little, A., Lahnstein, J., Jeffery, D. W., Khor, S. F., Schwerdt, J. G., Shirley, N., . . . Bulone, V. (2019). A novel (1,4)-β-linked glucoxylan is synthesized by members of the cellulose synthase-like F gene family in land plants. ACS Central Science, 5(1), 73-84.
DOI Scopus33 WoS28 Europe PMC23
2019 Crowe-Riddell, J. M., Simões, B. F., Partridge, J. C., Hunt, D. M., Delean, S., Schwerdt, J. G., . . . Sanders, K. L. (2019). Phototactic tails: evolution and molecular basis of a novel sensory trait in sea snakes. Molecular Ecology, 28(8), 1-16.
DOI Scopus16 WoS15 Europe PMC12
2019 Pham, T. A. T., Schwerdt, J. G., Shirley, N. J., Xing, X., Bulone, V., Little, A., & Kyriacou, B. (2019). Composition and biosynthetic machinery of the Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei conidia cell wall. The Cell Surface, 5, 100029-1-100029-9.
DOI Scopus16 Europe PMC9
2019 Pham, T. A. T., Schwerdt, J. G., Shirley, N. G., Xing, X., Hsieh, Y. S. Y., Srivastava, V., . . . Little, A. (2019). Analysis of cell wall synthesis and metabolism during early germination of Blumeria graminis f. sp. hordei conidial cells induced in vitro. The Cell Surface, 5, 13 pages.
DOI Scopus16 Europe PMC10
2019 Bulone, V., Schwerdt, J. G., & Fincher, G. B. (2019). Co-evolution of enzymes involved in plant cell wall metabolism in the grasses. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, 13 pages.
DOI Scopus29 WoS28 Europe PMC18
2018 Little, A., Schwerdt, J. G., Shirley, N. J., Khor, S. F., Neumann, K., O'Donovan, L. A., . . . Burton, R. A. (2018). Revised phylogeny of the Cellulose Synthase gene superfamily: insights into cell wall evolution. Plant Physiology, 177(3), 1124-1141.
DOI Scopus142 WoS130 Europe PMC110
2017 Chowdhury, J., Lück, S., Rajaraman, J., Douchkov, D., Shirley, N., Schwerdt, J., . . . Little, A. (2017). Altered expression of genes implicated in xylan biosynthesis affects penetration resistance against powdery mildew. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 445-1-445-12.
DOI Scopus29 WoS24 Europe PMC20
2017 Hassan, A., Houston, K., Lahnstein, J., Shirley, N., Schwerdt, J., Gidley, M., . . . Burton, R. (2017). A Genome Wide Association Study of arabinoxylan content in 2-row spring barley grain. PLoS ONE, 12(8), e0182537-1-e0182537-19.
DOI Scopus31 WoS28 Europe PMC27
2016 Dimitroff, G., Little, A., Lahnstein, J., Schwerdt, J., Srivastava, V., Bulone, V., . . . Fincher, G. (2016). (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan biosynthesis by the CSLF6 enzyme: position and flexibility of catalytic residues influence product fine structure. Biochemistry, 55(13), 2054-2061.
DOI Scopus35 WoS30 Europe PMC30
2016 Marcotuli, I., Houston, K., Schwerdt, J., Waugh, R., Fincher, G., Burton, R., . . . Gadaleta, A. (2016). Genetic diversity and genome wide association study of β-glucan content in tetraploid wheat grains. PLoS One, 11(4), e0152590-1-e0152590-15.
DOI Scopus51 WoS48 Europe PMC34
2016 Sato, K., Yamane, M., Yamaji, N., Kanamori, H., Tagiri, A., Schwerdt, J., . . . Komatsuda, T. (2016). Alanine aminotransferase controls seed dormancy in barley. Nature Communications, 7(1), 11625-1-11625-9.
DOI Scopus128 WoS115 Europe PMC93
2016 Paull, R., Chen, N., Ming, R., Wai, C., Shirley, N., Schwerdt, J., & Bulone, V. (2016). Carbon Flux and Carbohydrate Gene Families in Pineapple. Tropical Plant Biology, 9(3), 200-213.
DOI Scopus11 WoS9
2015 Wong, S., Shirley, N., Little, A., Khoo, K., Schwerdt, J., Fincher, G., . . . Mather, D. (2015). Differential expression of the HvCslF6 gene late in grain development may explain quantitative differences in (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan concentration in barley. Molecular Breeding, 35(1), 20-1-20-12.
DOI Scopus20 WoS18 Europe PMC14
2015 Ermawar, R., Collins, H., Byrt, C., Betts, N., Henderson, M., Shirley, N., . . . Burton, R. (2015). Distribution, structure and biosynthetic gene families of (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan in Sorghum bicolor. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 57(4), 429-445.
DOI Scopus32 WoS28 Europe PMC21
2015 Schwerdt, J., MacKenzie, K., Wright, F., Oehme, D., Wagner, J., Harvey, A., . . . Fincher, G. (2015). Evolutionary dynamics of the cellulose synthase gene superfamily in grasses. Plant Physiology, 168(3), 968-983.
DOI Scopus54 WoS35 Europe PMC40
2015 Ermawar, R., Collins, H., Byrt, C., Henderson, M., O'Donovan, L., Shirley, N., . . . Burton, R. (2015). Genetics and physiology of cell wall polysaccharides in the model C₄ grass, Setaria viridis spp. BMC Plant Biology, 15(1), 236-1-236-18.
DOI Scopus17 WoS16 Europe PMC11
2014 Schreiber, M., Wright, F., MacKenzie, K., Hedley, P., Schwerdt, J., Little, A., . . . Halpin, C. (2014). The barley genome sequence assembly reveals three additional members of the CslF (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan synthase gene family. PLoS One, 9(3), e90888-1-e90888-9.
DOI Scopus49 WoS38 Europe PMC31
2008 Jones, C., Schwerdt, J., Bretag, T., Baumann, U., & Brown, A. (2008). GOSLING: a rule-based protein annotator using BLAST and GO. Bioinformatics, 24(22), 2628-2629.
DOI Scopus13 WoS11 Europe PMC8

Year Citation
2023 Bulone, V., Schwerdt, J. G., & Fincher, G. B. (2023). Adoption of Evolving Technologies to Define Cell Wall Biology in the Grasses: A Brief but Unfinished History. In A. Geitmann (Ed.), Plant Cell Walls: Research Milestones and Conceptual Insights (pp. 180-205). CRC Press.
DOI Scopus1

Year Citation
- Berger, B., Tucker, M., Baumann, U., Kalashyan, E., Schwerdt, J., Chalmers, K., . . . Shaw, P. D. (n.d.). OzBarley: genotypic and expression data of the OzBarley elite panel.
DOI
- Berger, B., Tucker, M., Baumann, U., Kalashyan, E., Schwerdt, J., Chalmers, K., . . . Shaw, P. D. (n.d.). OzBarley: phenotypic data of OzBarley elite panel collected in greenhouse trials at Australian Plant Phenomics Network, University of Adelaide.
DOI
- Schwerdt, J., Berger, B., & Sainsbury, G. (n.d.). OzBarley_test.
DOI
- Schwerdt, J., Little, A., Bulone, V., Shirley, N., & Qiu, H. (n.d.). Fungal NSI enzyme HMM.
DOI

Year Citation
- Crowe-Riddell, J., Simoes, B., Schwerdt, J., Ludington, A., Breen, J., & Sanders, K. (n.d.). Phototactic tails manuscript ESM-Files.
DOI

2008 - Grains Research & Development Corporation GRS Post-graduate scholarship.

2010 to present, Master of Plant Biotechnology (bioinformatics course)

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2021 - 2023 External Supervisor Targeting Cell Wall Formation in the Oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi for Disease Control Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Amena Khatun

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