Dr Xiujuan Yang

Mortlock Research Fellow (B)

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

My Research
Career
Publications
Supervision
Contact

Dr. Yang is an early-career researcher as a Mortlock Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide. She earned her PhD in 2018, focusing on plant biology and reproductive development. Since then, she has dedicated her research to understanding the complex processes of cereal reproductive biology, particularly about ovule and seed development.

Cereal crops such as barley and wheat possess a significantly larger volume of nucellus cells in their ovules, compared to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Dr. Yang’s research investigates how nucellus contributes to maternal regulation during both female germline specification and grain development. The nucellus is believed to play a key role in creating a specialised niche environment within the ovule and regulating nutrient supply to the seed. Her work focuses on unravelling the genetic networks and molecular signalling pathways of ovule and seed development, with a particular interest in identifying key regulatory genes that could be targeted to enhance seed size, quality, and yield in cereal crops.

Appointments

Date	Position	Institution name
2024 - ongoing	Mortlock Research Fellow	University of Adelaide
2021 - 2024	Postdoctoral Research Fellow	University of Adelaide
2020 - 2018	Postdoctoral Research Fellow	University of Adelaide
2011 - 2014	Assistant Researcher of cereal breeding	Beijing Genomics Institute

Language Competencies

Language Competency

Chinese (Mandarin) Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Language	Competency
Chinese (Mandarin)	Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
English	Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Education

Date	Institution name	Country	Title
2015 - 2018	University of Adelaide	Australia	PhD
2008 - 2011	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	China	Master of Molecular Biology
2004 - 2008	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	China	Bachelor of Biotechnology

Journals

Year	Citation
2024	He, Y., Yang, X., Xia, X., Wang, Y., Dong, Y., Wu, L., . . . Li, G. (2024). A phase-separated protein hub modulates resistance to Fusarium head blight in wheat. Cell Host and Microbe, 32(5), 710-726.e10. DOI Scopus3 Europe PMC2
2024	Pinto, S. C., Leong, W. H., Tan, H., McKee, L., Prevost, A., Ma, C., . . . Tucker, M. R. (2024). Germline β-1,3-glucan deposits are required for female gametogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nat Commun, 15(1), 5875-1-5875-17. DOI
2024	Yang, X. (2024). The Armor of Orchid Petals: Insights into Cuticle Deposition Regulation. PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY, 3 pages. DOI
2023	Yang, X., Wilkinson, L. G., Aubert, M. K., Houston, K., Shirley, N. J., & Tucker, M. R. (2023). Ovule cell wall composition is a maternal determinant of grain size in barley. New Phytologist, 237(6), 2136-2147. DOI Scopus10 WoS1 Europe PMC5
2023	Dong, Y., Xia, X., Ahmad, D., Wang, Y., Zhang, X., Wu, L., . . . He, Y. (2023). Investigating the Resistance Mechanism of Wheat Varieties to Fusarium Head Blight Using Comparative Metabolomics. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(4), 17 pages. DOI Scopus7 WoS2 Europe PMC2
2023	Selva, C., Yang, X., Shirley, N. J., Whitford, R., Baumann, U., & Tucker, M. R. (2023). HvSL1 and HvMADS16 promote stamen identity to restrict multiple ovary formation in barley. Journal of Experimental Botany, 74(17), 5039-5056. DOI Scopus4 WoS1 Europe PMC2
2023	Shen, C., Zhang, Y., Li, G., Shi, J., Wang, D., Zhu, W., . . . Zhang, D. (2023). MADS8 is indispensable for female reproductive development at high ambient temperatures in cereal crops. The Plant Cell, 36(1), 65-84. DOI Scopus3
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 Scopus5 WoS1 Europe PMC4
2022	Wang, C., Yang, X., Zhang, Y., Shen, C., Shi, J., Xia, C., . . . Li, G. (2022). Barley FASCIATED EAR genes determine inflorescence meristem size and yield traits. Crop Journal, 11(3), 679-691. DOI Scopus6 WoS2
2021	Shoesmith, J. R., Solomon, C. U., Yang, X., Wilkinson, L. G., Sheldrick, S., van Eijden, E., . . . McKim, S. M. (2021). APETALA2 functions as a temporal factor together with BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 and MADS29 to control flower and grain development in barley. Development, 148(5), 1-16. DOI Scopus18 WoS9 Europe PMC7
2021	Wang, C., Yang, X., & Li, G. (2021). Molecular insights into inflorescence meristem specification for yield potential in cereal crops. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(7), 1-21. DOI Scopus23 WoS19 Europe PMC16
2021	Li, G., Kuijer, H. N. J., Yang, X., Liu, H., Shen, C., Shi, J., . . . Zhang, D. (2021). MADS1 maintains barley spike morphology at high ambient temperatures. Nat Plants, 7(8), 1-31. DOI Scopus41 WoS23 Europe PMC21
2021	Yang, X., & Tucker, M. R. (2021). Establishing a regulatory blueprint for ovule number and function during plant development. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 63, 1-10. DOI Scopus8 WoS5 Europe PMC5
2020	Liu, H., Li, G., Yang, X., Kuijer, H. N. J., Liang, W., & Zhang, D. (2020). Transcriptome profiling reveals phase-specific gene expression in the developing barley inflorescence. Crop Journal, 8(1), 71-86. DOI Scopus20 WoS17
2019	Song, Y., Li, G., Nowak, J., Zhang, X., Xu, D. -B., Yang, X., . . . Zhang, D. (2019). The rice actin-binding protein RMD regulates light-dependent shoot gravitropism. Plant Physiology, 181(2), 630-644. DOI Scopus21 WoS16 Europe PMC17
2019	Wilkinson, L. G., Yang, X., Burton, R. A., Würschum, T., & Tucker, M. R. (2019). Natural variation in ovule morphology is influenced by multiple tissues and impacts downstream grain development in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).. Front Plant Sci, 10, 1374. DOI Scopus7 WoS7
2019	Shirley, N. J., Aubert, M. K., Wilkinson, L. G., Bird, D. C., Lora, J., Yang, X., & Tucker, M. R. (2019). Translating auxin responses into ovules, seeds and yield: insight from Arabidopsis and the cereals. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 61(3), 310-336. DOI Scopus41 WoS36 Europe PMC25
2019	Lora, J., Yang, X., & Tucker, M. R. (2019). Establishing a framework for female germline initiation in the plant ovule. Journal of experimental botany, 70(11), 2937-2949. DOI Scopus24 WoS22 Europe PMC12
2018	Li, G., Yang, X., Zhang, X., Song, Y., Liang, W., & Zhang, D. (2018). Rice Morphology Determinant-Mediated Actin Filament Organization Contributes to Pollen Tube Growth. Plant physiology, 177(1), 255-270. DOI Scopus19 WoS15 Europe PMC11
2018	Yang, X., Li, G., Tian, Y., Song, Y., Liang, W., & Zhang, D. (2018). A rice glutamyl-tRNA synthetase modulates early anther cell division and patterning. Plant physiology, 177(2), 728-744. DOI Scopus26 WoS22 Europe PMC15
2017	Liu, Z., Lin, S., Shi, J., Yu, J., Zhu, L., Yang, X., . . . Liang, W. (2017). Rice No Pollen 1 (NP1) is required for anther cuticle formation and pollen exine patterning. Plant Journal, 91(2), 263-277. DOI Scopus52 WoS44 Europe PMC29

Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

Date	Role	Research Topic	Program	Degree Type	Student Load	Student Name
2023	Co-Supervisor	Dissecting the MADS-box interactome during barley ovule and seed development	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Ms Ling Xu
2023	Co-Supervisor	MADS-box gene function and conservation in barley and arabidopsis	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Mr Dominic James Lyford
2021	Co-Supervisor	Molecular components of grain fill and quality in cereals	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Mrs Juhiana Abdul Abbass Hantush Al-Jabiry

Position: Mortlock Research Fellow (B)
Email: xiujuan.yang@adelaide.edu.au
Fax: 83137102
Campus: Waite
Building: Plant Research Centre, floor Level Two
Room: 2.38
Org Unit: Agricultural Science

Dr Xiujuan Yang

Appointments

Language Competencies

Education

Journals

Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

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