Xiujuan Yang

Dr Xiujuan Yang

Grant-Funded Research Fellow

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

College of Science

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

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.

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

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

Year Citation
2026 Whitford, R., Baumann, U., Yang, X., Tucker, M. R., Ogink, K., Mazdeh, F. M., . . . Rohde, A. (2026). Transcriptional signatures associated with female receptivity and longevity in genetically male-sterile wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Scientific Reports, 16(1), 12422-1-12422-15.
DOI
2026 Tao, X. -Y., Tan, C., Liu, Y., Wang, Y., Raza, A., He, J., . . . Chen, Z. -H. (2026). The potential of wheat spatial omics. Nature Genetics, 58(5), 962-973.
DOI Europe PMC1
2026 Peirats-Llobet, M., Staka, Z., Yang, X., Zhu, Y., He, C., Hurgobin, B., . . . Whelan, J. (2026). A four-dimensional spatial transcriptome atlas of barley caryopsis development and germination.. Plant Cell, 38(5), 21 pages.
DOI WoS1 Europe PMC1
2025 Yang, X., Li, G., Shi, J., Wilkinson, L. G., Aubert, M. K., Houston, K., . . . Tucker, M. R. (2025). MADS31 supports female germline development by repressing the post-fertilization programme in cereal ovules. Nature Plants, 11(3), 543-560.
DOI Scopus5 WoS6 Europe PMC3
2025 Yang, X., Li, G., Shi, J., Wilkinson, L. G., Aubert, M. K., Houston, K., . . . Tucker, M. R. (2025). Author Correction: MADS31 supports female germline development by repressing the post-fertilization programme in cereal ovules.. Nat Plants, 11(3), 661.
DOI
2025 Yang, X., & Tucker, M. R. (2025). MADS31 coordinates germline development in cereal ovules. NATURE PLANTS, 11(3), 394-395.
DOI
2025 Yang, X. (2025). To Be Prominent: Epigenetic Regulation of Awn Development in Barley.. Plant & cell physiology, 66(5), pcaf037.
DOI
2025 Dong, Y., An, Q., He, Y., Zhang, Y., Guo, G., Zhang, C., . . . Li, G. (2025). The metacaspase-Peps-PEPR immune module confers resistance to Fusarium head blight in wheat.. The Plant cell, 37(8), koaf177.
DOI Scopus5 Europe PMC2
2025 Shen, C., Yang, X., Wang, D., Li, G., & Tucker, M. R. (2025). Functional retrogression of LOFSEPs in specifying floral organs in barley. aBIOTECH, 6(1), 1-11.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC3
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 Scopus31 WoS30 Europe PMC18
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 Scopus6 WoS8 Europe PMC9
2024 Yang, X. (2024). The Armor of Orchid Petals: Insights into Cuticle Deposition Regulation.. Plant Cell Physiol, 65(11), 1737-1739.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
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 Scopus17 WoS15 Europe PMC15
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 Scopus13 WoS12 Europe PMC6
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 Scopus10 WoS10 Europe PMC10
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 Scopus14 WoS15 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 Scopus11 WoS11 Europe PMC9
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 Scopus8 WoS7
2022 Yang, X., Li, G., Shi, J., Wilkinson, L., Aubert, M., Houston, K., . . . Tucker, M. (2022). MADS31 supports female germline development by repressing the post-fertilization program in cereal ovules.
DOI
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 Scopus30 WoS27 Europe PMC22
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 Scopus31 WoS30 Europe PMC24
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 Scopus68 WoS69 Europe PMC52
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 Scopus12 WoS12 Europe PMC11
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 Scopus29 WoS29
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 Scopus25 WoS24 Europe PMC24
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 Scopus12 WoS12 Europe PMC12
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 Scopus47 WoS44 Europe PMC33
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 Scopus33 WoS31 Europe PMC23
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 Scopus24 WoS23 Europe PMC23
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 Scopus29 WoS29 Europe PMC24
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 Scopus68 WoS63 Europe PMC48

Year Citation
2023 Selva, C., Yang, X., Whitford, R., Baumann, U., & Tucker, M. (2023). Establishing a genetic blueprint for floral organ development in barley. Poster session presented at the meeting of International Plant and Animal Genome Conference (PAG). Perth, Australia.

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2026 Co-Supervisor Novel genetic tools and strategies for bioengineering plant biomass Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Padam Poudel
2026 Co-Supervisor Spatial transcriptomics reveals coordinated cellular responses to salt stress in developing wheat roots Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Liujing Yang
2025 Principal Supervisor Mining novel genes to improve heat stress tolerance of barley during reproduction Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Poonam Bala
2025 Principal Supervisor Unveiling Genetic Control of the Maternal-Filial Interface in Barley Grain Development Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Weiber Lo
2025 Principal Supervisor Mining novel genes to improve heat stress tolerance of barley during reproduction Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Miss Poonam Bala
2025 Principal Supervisor Unveiling Genetic Control of the Maternal-Filial Interface in Barley Grain Development Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Weiber Lo
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
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

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2021 - 2025 Co-Supervisor THE ROLE OF THE NAKED ENDOSPERM1 GENE IN BARLEY (Hordeum vulgare L.) GRAIN DEVELOPMENT Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Juhiana Abdul Abbass Hantush Al-Jabiry

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