Dr Nicholas Ariotti
Dr

Nicholas Ariotti

Email: 

Background

Dr Ariotti is a Senior Research Fellow and Group Leader at the University of Queensland, Australia. Nick's Lab is focused on using cell biology, structural biology, and biochemistry to understand the molecular mechanisms of endocytosis including the organization of cargo for the transport and packaging of proteins into cells and, specialises in how defects in protein trafficking, and plasma membrane organisation can result in human diseases. He completed his PhD in 2013 at the University of Queensland. He then spent 4 years postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Molecular Biosciences in Rob Parton’s laboratory where he focused on developing and applying correlative light and electron microscopy approaches to better understand endocytosis. In 2017, Dr Ariotti moved to the Electron Microscope Unit at UNSW to serve as the Associate Director of Biological EM. He spent 5 years at the Electron Microscope Unit establishing Cryo-EM and cryogenic-Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy. In 2022, Dr Ariotti returned to the IMB at UQ as an independent research group leader with a focus on developing and applying novel cryogenic correlative approaches to uncover protein structures in situ.

Availability

Dr Nicholas Ariotti is:
Available for supervision

Fields of research

Biological Sciences Oncology and carcinogenesis

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science (Honours), The University of Queensland
  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Research interests

  • Membrane microdomain organisation in the endosome and on the cell surface

  • The structure, composition, and function of caveolae

  • Development of advanced Electron Microscopy techniques to answer questions in cell biology

Research impacts

Nick has an exceptional track record of producing high-quality transformative research that challenges long-held hypotheses and breaks new ground. He has secured competitive external funding (16 competitive grant successes), an outstanding publication profile (>75 publications; > 5000 citations), a strong record of supervision, invitations to speak at national and international conferences and a dedication to contributing to the advancement of cell biology research and electron microscopy through service on various national and international committees and associations.

He haspublished in journals such as Nature, Cell, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Immunology, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Developmental Cell, PLoS Biology, The Journal of Cell Biology, Current Biology and EMBO Journal highlighting the impact of his research.

These interests have resulted in significant high-quality publications in three related fields:

i) The structure, composition, and function of caveolae:

ii) The organsiation of membrane microdomains and signalling molecules on the cell surface and within endosomes:

ii) Development of advanced Electron Microscopy techniques to answer questions in cell biology.

Search Professor Nicholas Ariotti’s works on UQ eSpace

80 works between 2006 and 2025
All (80) Journal Article (72) Other Outputs (1) Conference Publication (6) Book Chapter (1)

41 - 60 of 80 works

2019

Journal Article

Membrane curvature and tension control the formation and collapse of caveolar superstructures

Golani, Gonen, Ariotti, Nicholas, Parton, Robert G. and Kozlov, Michael M. (2019). Membrane curvature and tension control the formation and collapse of caveolar superstructures. Developmental Cell, 48 (4), 523-538.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.12.005

Membrane curvature and tension control the formation and collapse of caveolar superstructures

2019

Journal Article

Thiol-reactive star polymers functionalized with short ethoxy-containing moieties exhibit enhanced uptake in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

Bayat, Narges, McOrist, Nathan, Ariotti, Nicholas, Lai, May, Sia, Keith C. S., Li, Yuhuan, Grace, James L., Quinn, John F., Whittaker, Michael R., Kavallaris, Maria, Davis, Thomas P. and Lock, Richard B. (2019). Thiol-reactive star polymers functionalized with short ethoxy-containing moieties exhibit enhanced uptake in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 14, 9795-9808. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S220326

Thiol-reactive star polymers functionalized with short ethoxy-containing moieties exhibit enhanced uptake in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

2018

Journal Article

Retromer has a selective function in cargo sorting via endosome transport carriers

Cui, Yi, Carosi, Julian M., Yang, Zhe, Ariotti, Nicholas, Kerr, Markus C., Parton, Robert G., Sargeant, Timothy J. and Teasdale, Rohan D. (2018). Retromer has a selective function in cargo sorting via endosome transport carriers. The Journal of Cell Biology, 218 (2), jcb.201806153-631. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201806153

Retromer has a selective function in cargo sorting via endosome transport carriers

2018

Journal Article

Electron microscopic detection of proteins and protein complexes in mammalian cells using APEX-tagged, conditionally stable nanobodies

Hall, Thomas E., Rae, James, Ariotti, Nicholas and Parton, Robert G. (2018). Electron microscopic detection of proteins and protein complexes in mammalian cells using APEX-tagged, conditionally stable nanobodies. Bio-Protocol, 8 (22) e3088, e3088. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3088

Electron microscopic detection of proteins and protein complexes in mammalian cells using APEX-tagged, conditionally stable nanobodies

2018

Journal Article

Structure of the membrane-assembled retromer coat determined by cryo-electron tomography

Kovtun, Oleksiy, Leneva, Natalya, Bykov, Yury S., Ariotti, Nicholas, Teasdale, Rohan D., Schaffer, Miroslava, Engel, Benjamin D., Owen, David. J., Briggs, John A. G. and Collins, Brett M. (2018). Structure of the membrane-assembled retromer coat determined by cryo-electron tomography. Nature, 561 (7724), 561-+. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0526-z

Structure of the membrane-assembled retromer coat determined by cryo-electron tomography

2018

Journal Article

Nucleic acid hybridization on an electrically reconfigurable network of gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles enables microRNA detection in blood

Tavallaie, Roya, McCarroll, Joshua, Le Grand, Marion, Ariotti, Nicholas, Schuhmann, Wolfgang, Bakker, Eric, Tilley, Richard David, Hibbert, David Brynn, Kavallaris, Maria and Gooding, John Justin (2018). Nucleic acid hybridization on an electrically reconfigurable network of gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles enables microRNA detection in blood. Nature Nanotechnology, 13 (11), 1066-1071. doi: 10.1038/s41565-018-0232-x

Nucleic acid hybridization on an electrically reconfigurable network of gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles enables microRNA detection in blood

2018

Journal Article

Cell-free formation and interactome analysis of caveolae

Jung, WooRam, Sierecki, Emma, Bastiani, Michele, O'Carroll, Ailis, Alexandrov, Kirill, Rae, James, Johnston, Wayne, Hunter, Dominic J. B., Ferguson, Charles, Gambin, Yann, Ariotti, Nicholas and Parton, Robert G. (2018). Cell-free formation and interactome analysis of caveolae. The Journal of Cell Biology, 217 (6), 2141-2165. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201707004

Cell-free formation and interactome analysis of caveolae

2018

Journal Article

Ultrastructural localisation of protein interactions using conditionally stable nanobodies

Ariotti, Nicholas, Rae, James, Giles, Nichole, Martel, Nick, Sierecki, Emma, Gambin, Yann, Hall, Thomas E. and Parton, Robert G. (2018). Ultrastructural localisation of protein interactions using conditionally stable nanobodies. PLoS Biology, 16 (4) e2005473, e2005473. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2005473

Ultrastructural localisation of protein interactions using conditionally stable nanobodies

2018

Journal Article

PH-responsive morphology-controlled redox behavior and cellular uptake of nanoceria in fibrosarcoma

Mehmood, Rashid, Ariotti, Nicholas, Yang, Jia Lin, Koshy, Pramod and Sorrell, Charles C. (2018). PH-responsive morphology-controlled redox behavior and cellular uptake of nanoceria in fibrosarcoma. ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering, 4 (3), 1064-1072. doi: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.7b00806

PH-responsive morphology-controlled redox behavior and cellular uptake of nanoceria in fibrosarcoma

2018

Journal Article

Real-time synchrotron small-angle x-ray scattering studies of collagen structure during leather processing

Zhang, Yi, Ingham, Bridget, Cheong, Soshan, Ariotti, Nicholas, Tilley, Richard D., Naffa, Rafea, Holmes, Geoff, Clarke, David J. and Prabakar, Sujay (2018). Real-time synchrotron small-angle x-ray scattering studies of collagen structure during leather processing. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 57 (1), 63-69. doi: 10.1021/acs.iecr.7b03860

Real-time synchrotron small-angle x-ray scattering studies of collagen structure during leather processing

2017

Journal Article

Journey to the centre of the cell: Virtual reality immersion into scientific data

Johnston, Angus P. R., Rae, James, Ariotti, Nicholas, Bailey, Benjamin, Lija, Andrew, Webb, Robyn, Ferguson, Charles, Maher, Sheryl, Davis, Thomas P., Webb, Richard I., McGhee, John and Parton, Robert G. (2017). Journey to the centre of the cell: Virtual reality immersion into scientific data. Traffic (Copenhagen, Denmark), 19 (2), 105-110. doi: 10.1111/tra.12538

Journey to the centre of the cell: Virtual reality immersion into scientific data

2017

Journal Article

Correlative light and electron microscopic detection of GFP-labeled proteins using modular APEX

Ariotti, Nicholas, Hall, Thomas E. and Parton, Robert G. (2017). Correlative light and electron microscopic detection of GFP-labeled proteins using modular APEX. Methods in Cell Biology, 140, 105-121. doi: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2017.03.002

Correlative light and electron microscopic detection of GFP-labeled proteins using modular APEX

2016

Journal Article

Nanomolar oligomerization and selective co-aggregation of α-synuclein pathogenic mutants revealed by single-molecule fluorescence

Sierecki, Emma, Giles, Nichole, Bowden, Quill, Polinkovsky, Mark E., Steinbeck, Janina, Arrioti, Nicholas, Rahman, Diya, Bhumkar, Akshay, Nicovich, Philip R., Ross, Ian, Parton, Robert G., Bocking, Till and Gambin, Yann (2016). Nanomolar oligomerization and selective co-aggregation of α-synuclein pathogenic mutants revealed by single-molecule fluorescence. Scientific Reports, 6 (1) 37630, 37630. doi: 10.1038/srep37630

Nanomolar oligomerization and selective co-aggregation of α-synuclein pathogenic mutants revealed by single-molecule fluorescence

2016

Journal Article

Parkinson disease-linked Vps35 R524W mutation impairs the endosomal association of retromer and induces α-synuclein aggregation

Follett, Jordan, Bugarcic, Andrea, Yang, Zhe, Ariotti, Nicholas, Norwood, Suzanne J., Collins, Brett M., Parton, Robert G. and Teasdale, Rohan D. (2016). Parkinson disease-linked Vps35 R524W mutation impairs the endosomal association of retromer and induces α-synuclein aggregation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 291 (35), 18283-18298. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.703157

Parkinson disease-linked Vps35 R524W mutation impairs the endosomal association of retromer and induces α-synuclein aggregation

2016

Journal Article

New transgenic lines for localization of GFP-tagged proteins by electron microscope

Hall, Thomas, Ariotti, Nicholas, Ferguson, Charles, Zherui, Xiong and Parton, Robert G. (2016). New transgenic lines for localization of GFP-tagged proteins by electron microscope. Zebrafish, 13 (3), 232-233. doi: 10.1089/zeb.2016.29002.hal

New transgenic lines for localization of GFP-tagged proteins by electron microscope

2016

Journal Article

Galectin-1 dimers can scaffold Raf-effectors to increase H-ras nanoclustering

Blazevits, Olga, Mideksa, Yonatan G., Solman, Maja, Ligabue, Alessio, Ariotti, Nicholas, Nakhaeizadeh, Hossein, Fansa, Eyad K., Papageorgiou, Anastassios C., Wittinghofer, Alfred, Ahmadian, Mohammad R. and Abankwa, Daniel (2016). Galectin-1 dimers can scaffold Raf-effectors to increase H-ras nanoclustering. Scientific Reports, 6 (1) 24165, 24165. doi: 10.1038/srep24165

Galectin-1 dimers can scaffold Raf-effectors to increase H-ras nanoclustering

2016

Conference Publication

Redefining caveolae as signalling platforms: specificity of interactions on endocytic caveolae in response to stress

Gambin, Yann, Sierecki, Emma, Jung, WooRam, Ariotti, Nicholas, Giles, Nichole, Bastiani, Michele and Parton, Robert (2016). Redefining caveolae as signalling platforms: specificity of interactions on endocytic caveolae in response to stress. Experimental Biology 2016 Meeting, San Diego, CA United States, 1-5 April 2016. Hoboken, NJ United States: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.879.2

Redefining caveolae as signalling platforms: specificity of interactions on endocytic caveolae in response to stress

2016

Conference Publication

Journey to the centre of the cell (JTCC)∗: a 3D VR experience derived from migratory breast cancer cell image data

McGhee, John, Bailey, Benjamin, Parton, Robert G., Ariotti, Nicholas and Johnston, Angus (2016). Journey to the centre of the cell (JTCC)∗: a 3D VR experience derived from migratory breast cancer cell image data. 2016 SIGGRAPH ASIA VR Showcase, SA 2016, Macau, China, 5 - 8 December 2016. New York, NY, United States: Association for Computing Machinery. doi: 10.1145/2996376.2996385

Journey to the centre of the cell (JTCC)∗: a 3D VR experience derived from migratory breast cancer cell image data

2015

Journal Article

Modular detection of GFP-labeled proteins for rapid screening by electron microscopy in cells and organisms

Ariotti, Nicholas, Hall, Thomas, Rae, James, Ferguson, Charles, McMahon, Kerrie-Ann, Martel, Nick, Webb, Robyn E., Webb, Richard I., Teasdale, Rohan D. and Parton, Robert G. (2015). Modular detection of GFP-labeled proteins for rapid screening by electron microscopy in cells and organisms. Developmental Cell, 35 (4), 513-525. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2015.10.016

Modular detection of GFP-labeled proteins for rapid screening by electron microscopy in cells and organisms

2015

Journal Article

Molecular characterization of caveolin-induced membrane curvature

Ariotti, Nicholas, Rae, James, Leneva, Natalya, Ferguson, Charles, Loo, Dorothy, Okano, Satomi, Hill, Michelle M., Walser, Piers, Collins, Brett M. and Parton, Robert G. (2015). Molecular characterization of caveolin-induced membrane curvature. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290 (41), 24875-24890. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.644336

Molecular characterization of caveolin-induced membrane curvature

Current funding

  • 2026 - 2028
    Precision Functional Dissection of a Cellular Stress Sensing Organelle
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2026
    Understanding fundamental mechanisms governing insect cell membrane deformability (HFSPO application submitted by the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover)
    University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2016 - 2017
    A signalling endosomal network in T cell activation (NHMRC Project Grant administered by University of New South Wales)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Prion-like behaviour in immunity: super-sized signalling platforms? (NHMRC Project Grant administered by UNSW)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Molecular Characterisation of Clathrin-independent Endocytosis in Migrating Cells
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant

Availability

Dr Nicholas Ariotti is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Structural and Molecular Characterisation of Chikungunya Virus Replication Organelles

    The Ariotti Group applies correlative microscopy to investigate the replication cycle of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a single-stranded, positive-sense alphavirus. CHIKV forms distinct plasma membrane–associated RNA replication organelles termed spherules, yet the identity and role of host factors recruited to these domains remain poorly understood. This project will develop new tools to selectively label and target CHIKV recplication organelle enriched sites for high-resolution and molecular analyses. These studies aim to elucidate how CHIKV co-opts host factors for viral amplification.

  • Structural Analysis of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases in situ

    The Ariotti Lab has established a novel structural pipeline integrating cell-free protein expression with cryo-correlative light and electron tomography (cryo-CLEM) and sub-tomogram averaging. This platform has already yielded the first full-length structure of the filamentous form of ASC (Apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD) (bioRxiv). This project will extend will investigate receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) Despite their critical roles in signalling, the endosomal organisation of RTKs during protein trafficking remains poorly understood.

  • Tools for whole animal correlative targeting of cells of interest

    In collaboration with the Parton Group (IMB, University of Queensland), this project will advance correlative imaging approaches to investigate zebrafish macrophages during bacterial infection. The Parton Group have developed infection assays and high-throughput correlative microscopy workflows linking light microscopy with X-ray microscopy and volume electron imaging. The Ariotti Group will focus on developing automated multimodal correlation pipelines to achieve accurate, unbiased, and rapid three-dimensional registration across imaging modalities.

Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Enquiries

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