Education

Associate Research Scholar
Princeton University, USA

Postdoctoral Scholar
Princeton University, USA

PhD
The University of Adelaide, Australia

B. Sc. (Hons, 1st class)
The University of Adelaide, Australia

Honors

Sir Keith Murdoch Fellow (2010)

Derrick Rowley Thesis Prize (2005)

Publications

Grabowicz M, May KL (2026). Lipid landscaping of the bacterial cell surface. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 123(8):e2537958123. PubMed link…

May KL, Akiyama T, Parker BG, Kim M, Grabowicz M (2025). LPS O-antigen polysaccharide length impacts outer membrane permeability of enteric gram-negative bacteria. mBio 16(12):e0251825. PubMed link…

Colquhoun JM, Brzezinski CU, Ji A, Marotta J, Elsen FAV, Bonomo RA, May KL, Sieber SA, Grabowicz M, Wuest WM, Rather PN (2025). Repurposing a drug to punish carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 122(24):e2423650122. PubMed link…

May KL, Grabowicz M. (2025). Outer membrane lipoproteins: late to the party, but the center of attention. J Bacteriol. 207(1):e0044224. PubMed link…

Marotta J, Zhao A, Rather PN, Grabowicz M (2025). The BfmRS stress response protects Acinetobacter baumannii against defects in outer membrane lipoprotein biogenesis. J Bacteriol. 2025 Jan 31;207(1):e0033224. PubMed link…

Pavelich IJ, Schureck MA, Srinivas P, Blackburn TM, Wang D, Hoffer ED, Boamah M, Zaldana K, Onuoha N, Miles SJ, Grabowicz M, Okafor CD, Dunham CM (2025). Antitoxin control of optimal transcriptional repression in the atypical HigB-HigA toxin-antitoxin system from Proteus vulgaris. Nucleic Acids Res. 53(13):gkaf610. PubMed link…

Tanquary J, Pavelich IJ, Grabowicz M, Dunham CM (2025). The Escherichia coli RelB antitoxin C terminus is essential for RelE toxin suppression and transcriptional repression. J Biol Chem. 301(8):110389. PubMed link…

Lehman KM*, May KL*, Marotta J, Grabowicz M. (2023). Genetic analysis reveals a robust and hierarchical recruitment of the LolA chaperone to the LolCDE lipoprotein transporter. mBio 15(2):e0303923 PubMed link…

Marotta J, May KL, Bae CY, Grabowicz M. (2023). Molecular insights into Escherichia coli Cpx envelope stress response activation by the sensor lipoprotein NlpE. Mol Microbiol 119:586-595 PubMed link…

Smith HC, May KL, Grabowicz M (2023). Teasing apart the evolution of lipoprotein trafficking in gram-negative bacteria reveals a bifunctional LolA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 120(6):e2218473120.

Lehman K.M., Smith H.C., Grabowicz M (2022). A biological signature for the inhibition of outer membrane lipoprotein biogenesis. mBio 13(3):e0075722.

Grabowicz, M. and Weiss D. (2022). Editorial overview: Antibiotics special issue. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2022 Feb;65:v-vii.

Chaudhry W., Lee, E., Worthy, A., Weiss, Z., Grabowicz M., Vega N.M., and Levin B. (2020). Mucoidy, a general mechanism for maintaining lytic phage in populations of bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 96(10):fiaa162.

Hart EM, Mitchell AM, Konovalova A, Grabowicz M, Sheng J, Han X, Rodriguez-Rivera FP, Schwaid AG, Malinverni JC, Balibar CJ, Bodea S, Si Q, Wang H, Homsher MF, Painter RE, Ogawa AK, Sutterlin H, Roemer T, Black TA, Rothman DM, Walker SS, Silhavy TJ. (2019). A small-molecule inhibitor of BamA impervious to efflux and the outer membrane permeability barrier. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 116(43):21748-21757.

Lehman, K.L., and Grabowicz M. (2019). Countering Gram-negative antibiotic resistance: recent progress in disrupting the outer membrane with novel therapeutics. Antibiotics 8:163.

May, K.L., Lehman, K.M., Mitchell, A.M., and Grabowicz M. (2019). A stress response monitoring lipoprotein trafficking to the outer membrane. mBio 10(3) pii: e00618-19.

May, K.L., and Grabowicz M. (2018). The bacterial outer membrane is an evolving antibiotic barrier. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 115(36):8852-8854.

Grabowicz, M. (2018). Lipoprotein transport: greasing the machines of outer membrane biogenesis. Bioessays (doi: 10.1002/bies.201700187).

Konovalova A*, Grabowicz M*, Balibar CJ, Malinverni JC, Painter RE, Riley D, Mann PA, Wang H, Garlisi CG, Sherborne B, Rigel NW, Ricci DP, Black TA, Roemer T, Silhavy TJ, Walker SS (2018). Inhibitor of intramembrane protease RseP blocks the σE response causing lethal accumulation of unfolded outer membrane proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 115(28):E6614-E6621. *equal contribution

Lee J., Sutterlin H.A., Wzorek J.S., Mandler M.D., Hagan C.L., Grabowicz M., Tomasek D., May M.D., Hart E.M., Silhavy T.J., Kahne D. (2018). Substrate binding to BamD triggers a conformational change in BamA to control membrane insertion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 115(10):2359-2364.

Grabowicz, M., and T.J. Silhavy (2017). Redefining the essential trafficking pathway for outer membrane lipoproteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 114(18):4769-74.

Grabowicz, M., and T.J. Silhavy (2017). Envelope stress responses: an interconnected safety net. Trends Biochem Sci. 42(3):232-42.

Silhavy, T.J., Grabowicz, M., Kahne, D., Lebar, M., Andres, D. (2017). Modified lipopolysaccharide glycoform and method of use. United States Patent and Trademark Office, US Patent No. 9677052

Lee, J., Xue, M., Wzorek, J.S., Wu, T., Grabowicz, M., Gronenberg, L.S., Sutterlin, H.A., Davis, R.M., Ruiz, N., Silhavy, T.J., Kahne, D. (2015). Characterization of a stalled complex on the β-barrel assembly machine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 113(31):8717-22.

Doyle, M.T., Grabowicz, M., Morona, R. (2015). A small conserved motif supports polarity augmentation of Shigella flexneri IcsA. Microbiology 161(11):2087-97

Doyle, M.T., Grabowicz, M., May, K.L., Morona, R. (2015). Lipopolysaccharide surface structure does not influence IcsA polarity. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 362(8):fnv042.

Balibar CJ, Grabowicz, M. (2015). Mutant alleles of lptD increase the permeability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and define determinants of intrinsic resistance to antibiotics. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 60:845-54.

Grabowicz, M., Koren, D., Silhavy, T.J. (2015). The CpxQ sRNA negatively regulates Skp to prevent mistargeting of β-barrel outer membrane proteins into the cytoplasmic membrane. mBio. 7(2):e00312-16.

Malojčić, G., Andres, D., Grabowicz, M., George, A.H., Ruiz, N., Silhavy, T.J., Kahne, D. (2014). LptE binds to and alters the physical state of LPS to catalyze its assembly at the cell surface. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 111(26):9467-72.

Grabowicz, M., Andres, D., Lebar, M.D., Malojčić, G., Kahne, D., Silhavy, T.J. (2014). A mutant Escherichia coli that attaches peptidoglycan to lipopolysaccharide and displays cell wall on its surface. eLife 3:e05334.

Grabowicz, M.*, Yeh, J.*, Silhavy, T.J. (2013). Dominant negative lptE mutation that supports a role for LptE as a plug in the LptD barrel. J Bacteriol. 195(6):1327-34. * denotes equal contribution

May, K.L.*, Grabowicz, M.*, Morona, R. (2012). Self-association of the Shigella flexneri IcsA autotransporter protein. Microbiology. 158:1874-83. *equal contribution

Ogunniyi, A.D.*, Grabowicz, M.*, Mahdi, L.K., Cook, J., Gordon, D.L., Sadlon, T.A., Paton, J.C. (2009). Pneumococcal histidine triad proteins are regulated by the Zn2+-dependent repressor AdcR and inhibit complement deposition through the recruitment of complement factor H. FASEB J. 23(3):731-8. *equal contribution

Ogunniyi, A.D., Grabowicz, M., Briles, D.E., Cook, J., Paton, J.C. (2007). Development of a vaccine against invasive pneumococcal disease based on combinations of virulence proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect Immun. 75(1):350-7.