Assistant Professor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ph.D. University of Gdansk, Poland
Contact Information
Office: SE 246
Phone: (561) 297-4871
Email: mstawikowski@fau.edu
My research program focuses on the design and application of environment-sensitive fluorescent probes to visualize complex biochemical and cellular processes, with particular emphasis on membrane dynamics and lipid trafficking. These probes are engineered to respond to subtle variations in polarity, viscosity, and local microenvironment, enabling real-time monitoring of molecular events in living cells. A central component of my work involves developing fluorescent sensors for neutral lipids, including cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, and di- and triacylglycerols—molecules that are fundamental to membrane architecture, energy storage, and intracellular signaling. By tracking the spatial and temporal distribution of these lipid species and their interactions with key proteins, my group seeks to elucidate how lipid composition and organization govern membrane integrity, trafficking pathways, and metabolic regulation. Another active direction of my research investigates how lipid droplet-associated proteins regulate lipid metabolism and storage. To this end, we are developing fluorescent peptide-based probes that enable direct visualization of protein–lipid droplet interactions in living cells. These studies aim to reveal how lipid dysregulation contributes to metabolic imbalance and to deepen our understanding of the molecular links between lipid homeostasis, cellular function, and disease.
Our approach combines synthetic chemistry, fluorescence spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and live-cell imaging to create multifunctional molecular tools optimized for advanced fluorescence microscopy. This interdisciplinary strategy allows us to probe lipid–protein interactions and dynamic lipid remodeling within biologically relevant environments.
McInchak N, Stawikowska L, Mesa H, Meade J, Zhang Q, Stawikowski MJ. L-Lysine-Linked Modular Fluorescent Cholesteryl Mimics: Biophysical Properties, Molecular Interactions, and Cellular Applications. Sci (Basel). 2025 Jun;7(2):56. https://www.mdpi.com/2413-4155/7/2/56
Rubio, V., McInchak, N., Fernandez, G. et al. Development and characterization of fluorescent cholesteryl probes with enhanced solvatochromic and pH-sensitive properties for live-cell imaging. Sci Rep 14, 30777 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80958-2
Alamgir S, Pelletier OB, Thomas D, Rubio V, Stawikowski MJ, Zhang Q. Measuring Membrane Lipid Turnover with the pH-sensitive Fluorescent Lipid Analog ND6. J Vis Exp. 2021 Jul 29;(173). doi: 10.3791/62717. PMID: 34398155.
Thomas D, Rubio V, Iragavarapu V, Guzman E, Pelletier OB, Alamgir S, Zhang Q, Stawikowski MJ. Solvatochromic and pH-Sensitive Fluorescent Membrane Probes for Imaging of Live Cells. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2021 Feb 17;12(4):719-734. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.0c00732
Rubio V., Iragavarapu V., Stawikowski M.J. Synthesis and Characterization of ROSA Dye - A Rhodamine B-type Fluorophore, Suitable for Bioconjugation and Fluorescence Studies in Live Cells. Protein Pept Lett. 2019;26(10):758-767.
Cudic, P., N. Joshi, D. Sagher, B. T. Williams, M. J. Stawikowski and H. Weissbach (2016). "Identification of activators of methionine sulfoxide reductases A and B." Biochem Biophys Res Commun 469(4): 863-867.
Fields, G. B. and M. J. Stawikowski (2016). "Imaging Matrix Metalloproteinase Activity Implicated in Breast Cancer Progression." Methods Mol Biol 1406: 303-329.
Stawikowski, M. J., R. Stawikowska and G. B. Fields (2015). Collagenolytic Matrix Metalloproteinase Activities toward Peptomeric Triple-Helical Substrates. Biochemistry 54(19): 3110-3121.
Krzywda, S., M. Jaskolski, K. Rolka and M. J. Stawikowski (2014). Structure of a proteolytically resistant analogue of (NLys)5SFTI-1 in complex with trypsin: evidence for the direct participation of the Ser214 carbonyl group in serine protease-mediated proteolysis. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 70(Pt 3): 668-675.
Stawikowski, M. J., B. Aukszi, R. Stawikowska, M. Cudic and G. B. Fields (2014). Glycosylation modulates melanoma cell alpha2beta1 and alpha3beta1 integrin interactions with type IV collagen. J Biol Chem 289(31): 21591-21604.
