Nick Pokorzynski
Nick Pokorzynski
Joining the Department of Microbiology in September 2025.
Research
How do cells prioritize one physiological state over another? Our lab approaches this question by investigating the molecular basis of bacterial adaptations to infection-relevant stress. We study how the pathogenic bacterium, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), reprograms its physiology inside mammalian cells, which starve this pathogen for critical nutrients and assault it with antibacterial agents. To survive inside mammalian cells, S. Typhimurium must adapt its physiology to conserve energy, efficiently allocate resources, and resist killing. This slows pathogen growth, heightening tolerance to antibiotics. Therefore, the molecular processes we uncover may be leveraged for the development of novel antimicrobial compounds to advance the treatment of infectious disease.
Research Interests
- Metabolic reprogramming
- Regulated proteolysis
- Antibiotic susceptibility
Background
Dr. Nick Pokorzynski’s work has focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing the behavior of intracellular bacterial pathogens. Dr. Pokorzynski has studied the sexually transmitted human bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, and the human gastroenteritis- and murine typhoid fever-causing bacterium, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Dr. Pokorzynski will join the Department of Microbiology at Oregon State University in September 2025.
Education
Postdoctoral Training: Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 2021-2025
Postdoctoral Training: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 2020-2021
Ph.D.: Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 2015-2020
B.Sc.: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 2009-2013
Research areas
Cellular Metabolism and Interaction Microbes, Microbiomes and Health Microbial Threats to Food SecurityPublications
- Pokorzynski, N.D., Jones, K.A., Campagna, S.R., and Groisman, E.A. (2025). Cytoplasmic Mg2+ supersedes carbon source preference to dictate Salmonella metabolism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122, e2424337122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2424337122.
- Chowdhury, N.B., Pokorzynski, N., Rucks, E.A., Ouellette, S.P., Carabeo, R.A., and Saha, R. (2024). Metabolic model guided CRISPRi identifies a central role for phosphoglycerate mutase in Chlamydia trachomatis persistence. mSystems 0, e00717-24. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00717-24.
- Pokorzynski, N.D., and Groisman, E.A. (2023). How Bacterial Pathogens Coordinate Appetite with Virulence. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 0, e00198-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00198-22.
- Krypotou, E., Townsend, G.E., Gao, X., Tachiyama, S., Liu, J., Pokorzynski, N.D., Goodman, A.L., and Groisman, E.A. (2023). Bacteria require phase separation for fitness in the mammalian gut. Science 379, 1149–1156. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn7229.
- Pokorzynski, N.D., Alla, M.R., and Carabeo, R.A. (2022). Host Cell Amplification of Nutritional Stress Contributes To Persistence in Chlamydia trachomatis. mBio 13, e02719-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.02719-22.