
W. Karol Subczynski, PhD, DSc
Professor
Locations
- Biophysics
MFRC 2008
Contact Information
Education
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 Chair 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 MCW 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 function of these carotenoids in the protection of 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).
Lab Members
Natalia Stein, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow
Collaborators
Dr. Akihiro Kusumi, Institute for Frontier Medical Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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
Recent Book Chapters
Subczynski W.K., Widomska J., Mainali L. Factors Determining the Oxygen Permeability of Biological Membranes: Oxygen Transport Across Eye Lens Fiber-Cell Plasma Membranes, in: Oxygen Transport to Tissue XXXIX, Halpern H., LaManna J., Harrison D., Epel B., Eds. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 977. (Springer, Cham), 2017, pp. 27-34.
Subczynski WK, Wisniewska A, Widomska J. Xanthophyll–Membrane Interactions: Implications for Age-Related Macular Degeneration, in: Carotenoids and Retinal Disease, Landrum JT and Nolan J, Eds. (CRC Press), 2014, pp. 203-221.
Publications
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(Subczynski WK, Pasenkiewicz-Gierula M.) Cell Biochem Biophys. 2020 Sep;78(3):241-247 PMID: 32602057 PMCID: PMC7403164 07/01/2020
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(Boban Z, Puljas A, Kovač D, Subczynski WK, Raguz M.) Cell Biochem Biophys. 2020 Jun;78(2):157-164 PMID: 32319021 PMCID: PMC7608754 04/23/2020
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Why is Zeaxanthin the Most Concentrated Xanthophyll in the Central Fovea?
(Widomska J, SanGiovanni JP, Subczynski WK.) Nutrients. 2020 May 07;12(5) PMID: 32392888 PMCID: PMC7284714 05/13/2020
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(Mainali L, Pasenkiewicz-Gierula M, Subczynski WK.) Curr Eye Res. 2020 02;45(2):162-172 PMID: 31462080 PMCID: PMC6980519 08/30/2019
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(Raguz M, Kumar SN, Zareba M, Ilic N, Mainali L, Subczynski WK.) Cell Biochem Biophys. 2019 Dec;77(4):309-317 PMID: 31625023 PMCID: PMC6858498 10/19/2019
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(Stein N, Mainali L, Hyde JS, Subczynski WK.) Appl Magn Reson. 2019 Jul;50(7):903-918 PMID: 31244509 PMCID: PMC6594395 06/28/2019
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Why Is Very High Cholesterol Content Beneficial for the Eye Lens but Negative for Other Organs?
(Widomska J, Subczynski WK.) Nutrients. 2019 May 15;11(5) PMID: 31096723 PMCID: PMC6566707 05/18/2019
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(Tikhonov AN, Subczynski WK.) Cell Biochem Biophys. 2019 Mar;77(1):47-59 PMID: 30460441 PMCID: PMC6524781 11/22/2018
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(Mainali L, O'Brien WJ, Subczynski WK.) Exp Eye Res. 2019 01;178:72-81 PMID: 30278157 PMCID: PMC6361697 10/03/2018
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(Widomska J, Subczynski WK.) Exp Eye Res. 2019 01;178:238-246 PMID: 29908882 PMCID: PMC6447089 06/18/2018
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Is the cholesterol bilayer domain a barrier to oxygen transport into the eye lens?
(Plesnar E, Szczelina R, Subczynski WK, Pasenkiewicz-Gierula M.) Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr. 2018 Feb;1860(2):434-441 PMID: 29079282 PMCID: PMC5732854 10/29/2017
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(Mainali L, Camenisch TG, Hyde JS, Subczynski WK.) Appl Magn Reson. 2017 Dec;48(11-12):1355-1373 PMID: 29805201 PMCID: PMC5967259 05/29/2018