Pathogenic Gene Discovery and Elucidation of Genetic Regulatory Networks in the Rice Blast Fungus

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To succeed as pathogens, fungi must adapt their metabolism to nutrient availability within the host, but little is known about the genetic regulatory mechanisms involved. The filamentous ascomycete fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is the causal agent of rice blast disease, which annually results in a 10 to 30 percent reduction in global rice yield. Traditional plant breeding strategies have failed to contain this severe threat to global food security; however, because of the amenability of M. oryzae to molecular analysis, durable control strategies might emerge from a better understanding of the molecular and cellular processes underlying the plant-fungal interaction. The goal of this project is to use mutants of M. oryzae, impaired in their ability to develop in rice, to unlock the fundamental cellular, biochemical, and genetic regulatory mechanisms that govern the rice-fungus interaction. Using molecular genetics and biochemical techniques, it is expected that this project will reveal essential new knowledge about the integration of metabolism with gene expression in M. oryzae that will likely shed light on important genetic control pathways in other pathogenic fungi. The investigators will promote the pathogenic gene discovery process as a tool to train students and inspire underrepresented minorities to pursue a career in science. Central to our research ethos will be the integration of undergraduate, graduate, and underrepresented high school students and teachers, representing diverse sections of the community, into the process of pathogenic gene identification and characterization. The M. oryzae- rice interaction will be used to inform undergraduate students of the importance of fundamental concepts in genetics and biochemistry, to allow graduate students and postdoctoral research associates to develop as mentors and teachers, and to involve high school students in real-world problems that, through their participation in EPSCoR summer camps supervised by the PI, will inspire them to undertake a career in science.