91ɫƵ

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protein structures and brain images
Karol Subczynski

W. Karol Subczynski, PhD, DSc

Professor

Locations

  • Biophysics
    MFRC 2008

Contact Information

Education

DSc, Natural Sciences with specialization in Biophysics, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, 1984
PhD, Physico-Mathematical Sciences with specialization in Biophysics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, USSR, 1976
MSc, Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, USSR, 1969

Biography

Shortly after completing my training, I joined the Biophysics Department, Institute of Molecular Biology, at Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, as a teaching/research assistant. I joined the faculty in 1977; in 1995, the President of Poland awarded me the title of professor of biophysics. From 1988–1991, I was hair of the Biophysics Department, and from 1992–2000, I was head of the Laboratory of Structure and Dynamics of Biological Membranes. I first visited Milwaukee in 1980; since then, I have been at the National Biomedical EPR Center about 50% of the time. In 2000, I emigrated to the United States and joined the 91ɫƵ faculty as an assistant professor of biophysics; in 2002, I became an associate professor of biophysics; and, in 2010, I became a professor of biophysics.

I have directed 14 graduate students pursuing their MSc degrees and supervised five students pursuing their PhD degrees.

I have coauthored more than 150 original papers, reviews, and book chapters.

Research Interests

My research interests focus on these areas:

  • Development of spin-label oximetry methods and their application to study oxygen consumption and evolution in different biological and biochemical systems, as well as oxygen transport within and across model and biological membranes.
  • Physical properties of model lipid bilayer membranes and the lipid bilayer portion of biological membranes. This research is focused on better understanding the function of biological membranes. Special focus is given to the formation of domains in the lipid bilayer portion of model and biological membranes induced by the presence of cholesterol, macular carotenoids, and integral membrane proteins.
  • Formation of raft domains in model and biological membranes. The long-term objective of this research is to better understand the molecular mechanisms by which rafts form and are maintained and disintegrated in biological membranes.
  • Formation of pure cholesterol domains surrounded by the phospholipid bilayer saturated with cholesterol. These are intriguing domains present in membranes oversaturated with cholesterol. Their functions in biological membranes have not yet been investigated in detail. It seems that these domains help to maintain lens fiber cell plasma membrane and lens homeostasis.
  • Discrimination of lipid domains induced by integral membrane proteins and evaluation of the amounts of phospholipids and cholesterol in these domains.
  • Interaction of macular carotenoids with lipid bilayer membranes to better understand their function in protecting the eye retina against age-related macular degeneration.

Research Projects

  • Lipid Rafts in Eye Lens: Discrimination by Pulse EPR is an R01 award by the National Eye Institute (December 1, 2004–November 30, 2009).
  • Cholesterol Crystalline Domain Function in Eye Lens: EPR Spin-Labeling Studies is an R01 award by the National Eye Institute (December 1, 2009–May 31, 2015).
  • Is Cholesterol Crystalline Domain a Barrier to Oxygen Transport? is a grant award by the NIH Fogarty International Center (February 1, 2009–December 31, 2012).
  • Lipid Domains in Lens Membranes of a Single Eye: EPR Spin-Labeling Studies is an R01 award by the National Eye Institute (June 1, 2015–May 31, 2020).

Collaborators
Dr. Akihiro Kusumi, Institute for Frontier Medical Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Dr. Laxman Mainali, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho
Dr. Marta Pasenkiewicz-Gierula, Biophysics Department, Institute of Molecular Biology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
Dr. Marija Raguz, Department of Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia
Dr. Justyna Widomska, Department of Biophysics, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
Dr. Alexander N. Tikhonov, Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

Publications

  • (Subczynski WK, Widomska J.) Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Nov 30;25(23) PMID: 39684621 PMCID: PMC11641204 12/17/2024

  • (Subczynski WK, Pasenkiewicz-Gierula M, Widomska J.) Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Sep 20;12(9) PMID: 37760086 PMCID: PMC10525422 09/28/2023

  • (Widomska J, Subczynski WK, Welc-Stanowska R, Luchowski R.) Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Aug 18;24(16) PMID: 37629129 PMCID: PMC10454802 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85168729479 08/26/2023

  • (Boban Z, Mardešić I, Jozić SP, Šumanovac J, Subczynski WK, Raguz M.) Membranes (Basel). 2023 Mar 18;13(3) PMID: 36984739 PMCID: PMC10059949 03/30/2023

  • (Mardešić I, Boban Z, Subczynski WK, Raguz M.) Membranes (Basel). 2023 Mar 10;13(3) PMID: 36984707 PMCID: PMC10057498 03/30/2023

  • (Mainali L, Raguz M, Subczynski WK.) Membranes (Basel). 2023 Feb 03;13(2) PMID: 36837692 PMCID: PMC9958954 02/26/2023

  • (Mardešić I, Boban Z, Subczynski WK, Raguz M.) Membranes. March 2023;13(3) SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85151571714 03/01/2023

  • (Boban Z, Mardešić I, Jozić SP, Šumanovac J, Subczynski WK, Raguz M.) Membranes. March 2023;13(3) SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85152213265 03/01/2023

  • (Subczynski WK, Widomska J.) Membranes (Basel). 2022 Sep 30;12(10) PMID: 36295720 PMCID: PMC9612125 10/28/2022

  • (Subczynski WK, Widomska J, Raguz M, Pasenkiewicz-Gierula M.) Oxygen (Basel). 2022 Sep;2(3):295-316 PMID: 36852103 PMCID: PMC9965258 03/01/2023

  • (Subczynski WK, Widomska J.) Membranes. October 2022;12(10) SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140781071 10/01/2022

  • (Subczynski WK, Widomska J, Stein N, Swartz HM.) Appl Magn Reson. 2021 Oct;52(10):1237-1260 PMID: 36267674 PMCID: PMC9581439 10/22/2022