Virginia State University Associate Professor Xianfa Xie has received a $1,148,010 grant from the National Science Foundation to study bioluminescent fungi, or mushrooms that glow, according to a VSU press release. 

Xie, director of VSU’s Center for Biotechnology, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, will examine the mechanisms and regulation of fungal bioluminescence, a phenomenon that remains largely unexplained. The project, titled “Excellence in Research: Elucidating the mechanism of fungal bioluminescence through genomic and biochemical approaches,” is expected to take three years. 

Xianfa Xie

 

“I am very excited to receive this award from the National Science Foundation to continue our research on bioluminescent fungi,” Xie said in the release. “There are still a lot of unanswered questions around this rare phenomenon, like why some species glow and others don’t, and why, for the same fungal species, some isolates in the U.S. may glow while those from Europe cannot. I want to understand why.” 

The grant also provides funding for students to participate in the research. Xie plans to integrate the project into his courses, giving students hands-on experience in cutting-edge science. 

According to a press release from the university, bioluminescent fungi have potential applications in medicine, agriculture and biotechnology. They can serve as reporter systems in molecular biology and have been genetically engineered into plants to produce glowing crops for commercial purposes. Researchers continue to study how to harness and scale fungal bioluminescence. 

The release noted that Xie will conduct his research at the Center for Biotechnology, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, a facility established in 2022. The new funding will allow the university to expand its equipment and research capacity.