Dr Antonio Ariza

School of Biosciences

University Teaching Associate

a.ariza@sheffield.ac.uk

Alfred Denny Building

Full contact details

Dr Antonio Ariza
School of Biosciences
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN

Profile

2021 – present: University Teaching Associate, University of Sheffield
2014 – 2021: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oxford
2011 – 2013: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Leeds
2007 – 2010: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of York
2006 – 2007: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Dundee
2002 – 2006: Research Assistant, University of Dundee

I started my academic career when I joined the University of Abertay to study a BSc (Hons) in Biotechnology.

I then undertook a part-time PhD in Biochemistry and specialised in Structural Biology while I worked as a research assistant at the Welcome Trust in Dundee.

After obtaining my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral research assistant in a hybrid industrial/academic setting at the University of York, where I solved many protein structures for Novozymes, the world’s largest industrial enzyme manufacturer.

I then moved on to purely academic studies of viral RNA-binding proteins at the University of Leeds, and enzymes involved in ADP-ribosylation, an important post-translational modification of proteins, at the University of Oxford.

I currently work at the University of Sheffield, where I teach molecular biology as a University Teaching Associate and I also branch out from studying nucleic acid-binding proteins, which have been the main focus of my research since my PhD, to also study plastic-degrading enzymes, which marks a return to where my science career first started: research in biotechnology.

Qualifications

2002-2006: PhD Structural Biology, University of Dundee
1995-2000: BSc (Hons) Microbial Biotechnology, University of Abertay

Research interests

I specialise in structural studies of nucleic-acid binding proteins. My research has spanned viral RNA-binding proteins, bacterial DNA-binding toxin-antitoxin systems and archaeal DNA-repair enzymes involved in homologous recombination.

I recently started working on plastic degrading enzymes with of view of using a biotechnological approach to tackle one of the world’s greatest environmental problems: plastic pollution.

Publications

Books

Alvey E, Ariza A, Bose D, Bailes E, Barnes R, Corns L, Cronshaw J, Durrant M, Heath C, Hornby D , Jones E et al (2025) Cat burglars, yeast races, and other hypothesis-driven bioscience practicals. Sheffield: University of Sheffield Pressbooks.

Journal articles

Ariza A, Liu Q, Cowieson NP, Ahel I, Filippov DV & Rack JGM (2024) Evolutionary and molecular basis of ADP-ribosylation reversal by zinc-dependent macrodomains. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300(10). View this article in WRRO
Schuller M, Raggiaschi R, Mikolcevic P, Rack JGM, Ariza A, Zhang Y, Ledermann R, Tang C, Mikoc A & Ahel I (2023) Molecular basis for the reversible ADP-ribosylation of guanosine bases. Molecular Cell, 83(13), 2303-2315. View this article in WRRO
Fontana P, Buch-Larsen SC, Suyari O, Smith R, Suskiewicz MJ, Schützenhofer K, Ariza A, Rack JGM, Nielsen ML & Ahel I (2023) Serine ADP-ribosylation in Drosophila provides insights into the evolution of reversible ADP-ribosylation signalling. Nature Communications, 14(1). View this article in WRRO
Carnie CJ, Armstrong L, Sebesta M, Ariza A, Wang X, Graham E, Zhu K & Ahel D (2023) ERCC6L2 mitigates replication stress and promotes centromere stability. Cell Reports, 42(4). View this article in WRRO
Schuller M, Butler RE, Ariza A, Tromans-Coia C, Jankevicius G, Claridge TDW, Kendall SL, Goh S, Stewart GR & Ahel I (2021) Molecular basis for DarT ADP-ribosylation of a DNA base. Nature, 596(7873), 597-602.
Rack JGM, Liu Q, Zorzini V, Voorneveld J, Ariza A, Honarmand Ebrahimi K, Reber JM, Krassnig SC, Ahel D, van der Marel GA , Mangerich A et al (2021) Mechanistic insights into the three steps of poly(ADP-ribosylation) reversal. Nature Communications, 12(1). View this article in WRRO
Suskiewicz MJ, Zobel F, Ogden TEH, Fontana P, Ariza A & Yang JC (2020) Parp1/2 and accessory factor hpf1 interlock to form a joint active site. Cancer Discovery, 10(4), 486.
Suskiewicz MJ, Zobel F, Ogden TEH, Fontana P, Ariza A, Yang J-C, Zhu K, Bracken L, Hawthorne WJ, Ahel D , Neuhaus D et al (2020) HPF1 completes the PARP active site for DNA damage-induced ADP-ribosylation. Nature, 579(7800), 598-602.
Roth C, Moroz OV, Turkenburg JP, Blagova E, Waterman J, Ariza A, Ming L, Tianqi S, Andersen C, Davies GJ & Wilson KS (2019) Structural and Functional Characterization of Three Novel Fungal Amylases with Enhanced Stability and pH Tolerance. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(19), 4902-4902.
Rack JGM, Ariza A, Drown BS, Henfrey C, Bartlett E, Shirai T, Hergenrother PJ & Ahel I (2018) (ADP-ribosyl)hydrolases: structural basis for differential substrate recognition and inhibition. Cell Chemical Biology, 25(12), 1533-1546. View this article in WRRO
Roth C, Moroz OV, Ariza A, Skov LK, Ayabe K, Davies GJ & Wilson KS (2018) Structural insight into industrially relevant glucoamylases: flexible positions of starch-binding domains. Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology, 74(5), 463-470.
Sebesta M, Cooper CDO, Ariza A, Carnie CJ & Ahel D (2017) Structural insights into the function of ZRANB3 in replication stress response. Nature Communications, 8(1). View this article in WRRO
Jankevicius G, Ariza A, Ahel M & Ahel I (2016) The toxin-antitoxin system DarTG catalyzes reversible ADP-ribosylation of DNA. Molecular Cell, 64(6), 1109-1116. View this article in WRRO
Agirre J, Ariza A, Offen WA, Turkenburg JP, Roberts SM, McNicholas S, Harris PV, McBrayer B, Dohnalek J, Cowtan KD , Davies GJ et al (2016) Three-dimensional structures of two heavily N-glycosylated Aspergillus sp. family GH3 B-D-glucosidases. Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology, 72(2), 254-265. View this article in WRRO
Gunn AR, Banos-Pinero B, Paschke P, Sanchez-Pulido L, Ariza A, Day J, Emrich M, Leys D, Ponting CP, Ahel I & Lakin ND (2016) The role of ADP-ribosylation in regulating DNA interstrand crosslink repair. Journal of Cell Science.
Surtees R, Ariza A, Punch EK, Trinh CH, Dowall SD, Hewson R, Hiscox JA, Barr JN & Edwards TA (2015) The crystal structure of the Hazara virus nucleocapsid protein. BMC Structural Biology, 15(1). View this article in WRRO
Rack JGM, Morra R, Barkauskaite E, Kraehenbuehl R, Ariza A, Qu Y, Ortmayer M, Leidecker O, Cameron DR, Matic I , Peleg AY et al (2015) Identification of a class of protein ADP-ribosylating sirtuins in microbial pathogens. Molecular Cell, 59(2), 309-320. View this article in WRRO
Lambrecht MJ, Brichacek M, Barkauskaite E, Ariza A, Ahel I & Hergenrother PJ (2015) Synthesis of Dimeric ADP-Ribose and Its Structure with Human Poly(ADP-ribose) Glycohydrolase. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 137(10), 3558-3564.
Shepherd DA, Ariza A, Edwards TA, Barr JN, Stonehouse NJ & Ashcroft AE (2014) Probing Bunyavirus N protein oligomerisation using mass spectrometry. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 28(7), 793-800. View this article in WRRO
Tanner SJ, Ariza A, Richard C-A, Kyle HF, Dods RL, Blondot M-L, Wu W, Trincão J, Trinh CH, Hiscox JA , Carroll MW et al (2014) Crystal structure of the essential transcription antiterminator M2-1 protein of human respiratory syncytial virus and implications of its phosphorylation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(4), 1580-1585. View this article in WRRO
Sanchez-Romero I, Ariza A, Wilson KS, Skjøt M, Vind J, De Maria L, Skov LK & Sanchez-Ruiz JM (2013) Mechanism of Protein Kinetic Stabilization by Engineered Disulfide Crosslinks. PLoS ONE, 8(7), e70013-e70013.
Ariza A, Moroz OV, Blagova EV, Turkenburg JP, Waterman J, Roberts SM, Vind J, Sjøholm C, Lassen SF, De Maria L , Glitsoe V et al (2013) Degradation of Phytate by the 6-Phytase from Hafnia alvei: A Combined Structural and Solution Study. PLoS ONE, 8(5), e65062-e65062.
Ariza A, Tanner SJ, Walter CT, Dent KC, Shepherd DA, Wu W, Matthews SV, Hiscox JA, Green TJ, Luo M , Elliott RM et al (2013) Nucleocapsid protein structures from orthobunyaviruses reveal insight into ribonucleoprotein architecture and RNA polymerization. Nucleic Acids Research, 41(11), 5912-5926. View this article in WRRO
Carter SD, Surtees R, Walter CT, Ariza A, Bergeron É, Nichol ST, Hiscox JA, Edwards TA & Barr JN (2012) Structure, function, and evolution of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus nucleocapsid protein. Journal of Virology, 86(20), 10914-10923. View this article in WRRO
Ariza A, Eklöf JM, Spadiut O, Offen WA, Roberts SM, Besenmatter W, Friis EP, Skjøt M, Wilson KS, Brumer H & Davies G (2011) Structure and activity of Paenibacillus polymyxa Xyloglucanase from glycoside hydrolase family 44. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 286(39), 33890-33900. View this article in WRRO
Vévodová J, Gamble M, Künze G, Ariza A, Dodson E, Jones DD & Wilson KS (2010) Crystal structure of an intracellular subtilisin reveals novel structural features unique to this subtilisin family. Structure, 18(6), 744-755. View this article in WRRO
Jones DC, Ariza A, Chow W-HA, Oza SL & Fairlamb AH (2010) Comparative structural, kinetic and inhibitor studies of Trypanosoma brucei trypanothione reductase with T. cruzi. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 169(1), 12-19. View this article in WRRO
Ariza A, Vickers TJ, Greig N, Armour KA, Dixon MJ, Eggleston IM, Fairlamb AH & Bond CS (2006) Specificity of the trypanothione-dependent Leishmania major glyoxalase I: structure and biochemical comparison with the human enzyme. Molecular Microbiology, 59(4), 1239-1248. View this article in WRRO
Ariza A, Vickers TJ, Greig N, Fairlamb AH & Bond CS (2005) Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Leishmania major glyoxalase I. Acta Crystallographica Section F Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications, 61(8), 769-772. View this article in WRRO
Ariza A, Richard DJ, White MF & Bond CS (2005) Conformational flexibility revealed by the crystal structure of a crenarchaeal RadA. Nucleic Acids Research, 33(5), 1465-1473. View this article in WRRO

Teaching activities: Level 1 Modules

BIS113: Experimental Skills for Bioscientists
BIS124: Professional Skills for Bioscientists

Level 2 Modules

BIS207: Biochemistry II
BIS220: Philosophy and Ethics of Bioscience
BIS224: Skills in Molecular Biosciences II

Level 3 Modules

BIS312: Capstone Project
BIS356: Topics in Environmental Microbiology

Level 4 Modules

BIS4101: The scientific Cycle

MSc Modules

BIS474: Cellular Systems Engineering for Biotechnology
BIS484: Research Project
BIS486: Literature Review

Professional activities and memberships

Year Abroad Tutor

I oversee the Year Abroad programme of the School of Biosciences.

The vast majority of our degrees offer the opportunity to add a year to your degree to study with one of our partner universities and I am responsible for the following activities:

Support promotion of study abroad
Review suitability of exchange partner institutions
Review/Approve student applications to study abroad
Participate in Study Abroad allocation panel
Advise students on academic modules taken abroad
Approve learning agreements and risk assessments
Pastoral support & emergencies - be able to signpost and cooperate with GO/other services as required
Academic tutoring while abroad (can be provided by SA tutor or Academic tutor as agreed within School)
Confirm modules available to exchange students
Review/Approve student module applications
Provide advice/signposting on academic queries to inbound exchange students (syllabi)
Pastoral support & emergencies - be able to signpost and cooperate with GO/other services as required