The National Science Foundation Division of Integrative Organismal Systems awarded Merrimack College $533,591 on October 1, 2025, under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to investigate the molecular regulation of septin-mediated plant invasion by the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The research addresses the infection biology of M. oryzae, which causes blast disease in rice and wheat and poses a global threat to food security. The project focuses on understanding how M. oryzae constructs and operates appressoria, specialized pressure-generating infection cells that the fungus uses to penetrate plant leaves. The work will examine the regulated assembly of septin ring structures within the appressorium base, determining how these infection-specific septin rings form in the correct location and time. Research outcomes may inform new strategies to control blast, particularly as fungicide resistance emerges.
The award includes training and education in bioimaging for the study of plants, microbes, and their interactions, with enhanced opportunities for low-income and first-generation high school students to gain hands-on research experience in fungal cell biology. Public engagement activities at local events will communicate research outcomes and increase scientific literacy and public trust in science.
Performance occurs in North Andover, Massachusetts, with an award period ending June 30, 2027.