Menu

EMAIL jjn36@cam.ac.uk
College St John's College
Department
  • Clinical Neurosciences
    • School
  • Clinical Medicine
    • Institute
  • Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
    • Click to view home page
    ORCID iDClick to view ORCID profile
    Research Theme Beyond the Neuron Neurons, Circuits and Networks Lifelong Brain Development and Brain Ageing

    Other Interdiciplinary Incentives

  • 73

    • Research Focus

    Keywords

  • Neuronal Cell Biology
  • Neurodegeneration Disease

    • Clinical Conditions

  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Motor neurone disease
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Hereditary spastic paraplegia

    • Equipment & Techniques

  • Calcium imaging
  • Cell culture
  • Confocal microscopy
  • Recombinant protein expression

    • Science Culture

  • Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing
  • Widening Participation

    • Back

    Dr Jonathon Nixon-Abell

    University Position
    Group Leader
    Dr Jonathon Nixon-Abell is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students.

    Interests

    Our lab is focussed on identifying the cellular machinery and mechanisms responsible for orchestrating organelle shape, trafficking, and communication in neurons. Our goal is to unravel how these factors enable neurons to function properly and understand what goes awry during neurodegenerative disease.

    Multispectral microscopy

    Multiple organelles fluorescently labelled inside a cancer cell

    Key Publications

    Mapping high resolution, multidimensional phase diagrams of near-physiological protein condensates

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77696-6
    Journal: Nature Communications
    E-pub date: 10 Sep 2026
    Authors: T Agarwal, T Sneideris, F Svara, K Jermakovs, H Coyle, S Qamar, E Kava, R Scrutton, N Pleschka, P Peres, G Cereghetti, E Andrzejewska, A Diaz-Barreiro, G Palmer, AJ Costa-Filho, G Krainer, TP Knowles, J Nixon-Abell

    PRISM: A Plasmid-based Reporter for Intracellular Spectral Microscopy

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.01.746207
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 5 Sep 2026
    Authors: FM Love, Z Baskir, T Allen, S Thomas, H Coyle, N Al-Dam, S Williams, H Maib, N Irigoyen, J Nixon-Abell

    ANXA11 biomolecular condensates facilitate protein-lipid phase coupling on lysosomal membranes

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58142-5
    Journal: Nat Commun
    E-pub date: 21 Mar 2025
    Authors: J Nixon-Abell, FS Ruggeri, S Qamar, TW Herling, MA Czekalska, Y Shen, G Wang, C King, MS Fernandopulle, T Sneideris, JL Watson, VVS Pillai, W Meadows, JW Henderson, JE Chambers, JL Wagstaff, SH Williams, H Coyle, G Šneiderienė, Y Lu, S Zhang, SJ Marciniak, SMV Freund, E Derivery, ME Ward, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, P St George-Hyslop

    Motion of VAPB molecules reveals ER-mitochondria contact site subdomains.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06956-y
    Journal: Nature
    E-pub date: 1 Feb 2024
    Authors: CJ Obara, J Nixon-Abell, AS Moore, F Riccio, DP Hoffman, G Shtengel, CS Xu, K Schaefer, HA Pasolli, J-B Masson, HF Hess, CP Calderon, C Blackstone, J Lippincott-Schwartz

    High-fidelity 3D live-cell nanoscopy through data-driven enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuation.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-023-02057-w
    Journal: Nat Methods
    E-pub date: 1 Dec 2023
    Authors: RF Laine, HS Heil, S Coelho, J Nixon-Abell, A Jimenez, T Wiesner, D Martínez, T Galgani, L Régnier, A Stubb, G Follain, S Webster, J Goyette, A Dauphin, A Salles, S Culley, G Jacquemet, B Hajj, C Leterrier, R Henriques

    ER proteins decipher the tubulin code to regulate organelle distribution.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04204-9
    Journal: Nature
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2022
    Authors: P Zheng, CJ Obara, E Szczesna, J Nixon-Abell, KK Mahalingan, A Roll-Mecak, J Lippincott-Schwartz, C Blackstone

    RNA Granules Hitchhike on Lysosomes for Long-Distance Transport, Using Annexin A11 as a Molecular Tether.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2019.08.050
    Journal: Cell
    E-pub date: 19 Sep 2019
    Authors: Y-C Liao, MS Fernandopulle, G Wang, H Choi, L Hao, CM Drerup, R Patel, S Qamar, J Nixon-Abell, Y Shen, W Meadows, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, M Nelson, MA Czekalska, G Musteikyte, MA Gachechiladze, CA Stephens, HA Pasolli, LR Forrest, P St George-Hyslop, J Lippincott-Schwartz, ME Ward

    Increased spatiotemporal resolution reveals highly dynamic dense tubular matrices in the peripheral ER.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf3928
    Journal: Science
    E-pub date: 28 Oct 2016
    Authors: J Nixon-Abell, CJ Obara, AV Weigel, D Li, WR Legant, CS Xu, HA Pasolli, K Harvey, HF Hess, E Betzig, C Blackstone, J Lippincott-Schwartz

    Publications

    FidlTrack: high-fidelity structure-aware single particle tracking resolves intracellular molecular motion in organelles sensing APP processing.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69067-y
    Journal: Nat Commun
    E-pub date: 11 Feb 2026
    Authors: P Parutto, Y Yuan, V Davì, R Pons-Lanau, S Ebeling, K Gupta, F Bottanelli, MF Garcia-Parajo, F Campelo, CF Kaminski, JE Chambers, J Nixon-Abell, E Avezov

    GLP-1R associates with VAPB and SPHKAP at ERMCSs to regulate β-cell mitochondrial remodelling and function.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66115-x
    Journal: Nat Commun
    E-pub date: 10 Dec 2025
    Authors: G Austin, AI Oqua, L El Eid, M Zhu, Y Manchanda, P Peres, H Coyle, Y Poliakova, Z Balkhiyarova, K Bouzakri, A Montoya, DJ Withers, M Solimena, B Jones, SJ Millership, S Burgold, DCA Gaboriau, E Majorovits, E Garlick, MA do R B F Lima, I Prokopenko, J Nixon-Abell, A Müller, A Tomas

    Mapping high resolution, multidimensional phase diagrams of physiological protein condensates

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.24.690258
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 29 Nov 2025
    Authors: T Agarwal, T Sneideris, F Svara, K Jermakovs, H Coyle, S Qamar, E Kava, R Scrutton, N Pleschka, P Peres, G Cereghetti, E Andrzejewska, A Diaz-Barreiro, G Palmer, AJ Costa-Filho, G Krainer, TP Knowles, J Nixon-Abell

    Multiplex neurodegeneration proteotoxicity platform reveals DNAJB6 promotes non-toxic FUS condensate gelation and inhibits neurotoxicity

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65178-0
    Journal: Nat Commun
    E-pub date: 21 Nov 2025
    Authors: SJ Resnick, S Qamar, P Krishna, V Korobeynikov, H Ausserwoger, A Miller, P Esposito, JA Varela, J Sheng, LH Huang, J Nixon-Abell, S Melore, CW Chung, NF Läubli, S Kapsiani, X Li, J Wang, N Zhang, MM Alam, AS Burguete, TC Swayne, Y Chen, Y-C Liao, NA Shneider, M Vendruscolo, TPJ Knowles, CF Kaminski, FS Ruggeri, GS Kaminski Schierle, P St George-Hyslop, A Chavez

    Quantifying collective interactions in biomolecular phase separation.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62437-y
    Journal: Nat Commun
    E-pub date: 19 Aug 2025
    Authors: H Ausserwöger, E de Csilléry, D Qian, G Krainer, TJ Welsh, T Sneideris, TM Franzmann, S Qamar, NA Erkamp, J Nixon-Abell, M Kar, P St George-Hyslop, AA Hyman, S Alberti, RV Pappu, TPJ Knowles

    Quantifying collective interactions in biomolecular phase separation

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.31.543137
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 4 Jun 2023
    Authors: H Ausserwöger, D Qian, G Krainer, E de Csilléry, T Welsh, T Sneideris, T Franzmann, S Qamar, N Erkamp, J Nixon-Abell, M Kar, PS George-Hyslop, A Hyman, S Alberti, R Pappu, T Knowles

    Spatially non-uniform condensates emerge from dynamically arrested phase separation.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36059-1
    Journal: Nat Commun
    E-pub date: 8 Feb 2023
    Authors: NA Erkamp, T Sneideris, H Ausserwöger, D Qian, S Qamar, J Nixon-Abell, P St George-Hyslop, JD Schmit, DA Weitz, TPJ Knowles

    Tie-line analysis reveals interactions driving heteromolecular condensate formation

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.12.041038
    Journal: Phys Rev X
    E-pub date: 30 Dec 2022
    Authors: D Qian, T Welsh, N Erkamp, S Qamar, J Nixon-Abell, G Krainer, P St George-Hyslop, T Michaels, T Knowles

    Regulation of membrane fluidity by RNF145-triggered degradation of the lipid hydrolase ADIPOR2.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2022110777
    Journal: EMBO J
    E-pub date: 4 Oct 2022
    Authors: N Volkmar, CM Gawden-Bone, JC Williamson, J Nixon-Abell, JA West, PH St George-Hyslop, A Kaser, PJ Lehner

    Motion of single molecular tethers reveals dynamic subdomains at ER-mitochondria contact sites

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2022.09.03.505525
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 5 Sep 2022
    Authors: CJ Obara, J Nixon-Abell, AS Moore, F Riccio, DP Hoffman, G Shtengel, CS Xu, K Schaefer, HA Pasolli, J-B Masson, HF Hess, CP Calderon, C Blackstone, J Lippincott-Schwartz

    Transverse endoplasmic reticulum expansion in hereditary spastic paraplegia corticospinal axons.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddac072
    Journal: Hum Mol Genet
    E-pub date: 23 Aug 2022
    Authors: P-P Zhu, H-F Hung, N Batchenkova, J Nixon-Abell, J Henderson, P Zheng, B Renvoisé, S Pang, CS Xu, S Saalfeld, J Funke, Y Xie, F Svara, HF Hess, C Blackstone

    High-fidelity 3D live-cell nanoscopy through data-driven enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuation

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1581418/v1
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 30 Apr 2022
    Authors: R Henriques, R Laine, H Heil, S Coelho, J Nixon-Abell, A Jimenez, T Galgani, A Stubb, G Follain, S Culley, G Jacquemet, B Hajj, C Leterrier

    High-fidelity 3D live-cell nanoscopy through data-driven enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuation

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2022.04.07.487490
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 12 Apr 2022
    Authors: RF Laine, HS Heil, S Coelho, J Nixon-Abell, A Jimenez, T Galgani, A Stubb, G Follain, S Webster, J Goyette, S Culley, G Jacquemet, B Hajj, C Leterrier, R Henriques

    Z-α1-antitrypsin polymers impose molecular filtration in the endoplasmic reticulum after undergoing phase transition to a solid state.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm2094
    Journal: Sci Adv
    E-pub date: 8 Apr 2022
    Authors: JE Chambers, N Zubkov, M Kubánková, J Nixon-Abell, I Mela, S Abreu, M Schwiening, G Lavarda, I López-Duarte, JA Dickens, T Torres, CF Kaminski, LJ Holt, E Avezov, JA Huntington, PS George-Hyslop, MK Kuimova, SJ Marciniak

    Multiplex Gene Tagging with CRISPR-Cas9 for Live-Cell Microscopy and Application to Study the Role of SARS-CoV-2 Proteins in Autophagy, Mitochondrial Dynamics, and Cell Growth.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1089/crispr.2021.0041
    Journal: CRISPR J
    E-pub date: 1 Dec 2021
    Authors: O Perez-Leal, J Nixon-Abell, CA Barrero, JC Gordon, J Oesterling, MC Rico

    Sequential screening nominates the Parkinson’s disease associated kinase LRRK2 as a regulator of Clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbd.2020.104948
    Journal: Neurobiol Dis
    E-pub date: 1 Jul 2020
    Authors: GR Heaton, N Landeck, A Mamais, MA Nalls, J Nixon-Abell, R Kumaran, A Beilina, L Pellegrini, Y Li, International Parkinson Disease Genomics Consortium (IPDGC), K Harvey, MR Cookson

    High Resolution Biomolecular Condensate Phase Diagrams with a Combinatorial Microdroplet Platform

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.04.132308
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 7 Jun 2020
    Authors: W Arter, R Qi, N Erkamp, G Krainer, K Didi, T Welsh, J Acker, J Nixon-Abell, J Nixon-Abell, S Qamar, J Guillén-Boixet, T Franzmann, D Kuster, A Hyman, A Borodavka, P St George-Hyslop, S Alberti, TPJ Knowles

    The importance of naturally attenuated SARS-CoV-2in the fight against COVID-19.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15039
    Journal: Environ Microbiol
    E-pub date: 1 Jun 2020
    Authors: J Armengaud, A Delaunay-Moisan, J-Y Thuret, E van Anken, D Acosta-Alvear, T Aragón, C Arias, M Blondel, I Braakman, J-F Collet, R Courcol, A Danchin, J-F Deleuze, J-P Lavigne, S Lucas, T Michiels, ERB Moore, J Nixon-Abell, R Rossello-Mora, Z-L Shi, AG Siccardi, R Sitia, D Tillett, KN Timmis, MB Toledano, P van der Sluijs, E Vicenzi

    A Versatile Vector System for the Fast Generation of Knock-in Cell Lines with CRISPR

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.06.927384
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 8 Feb 2020
    Authors: O Perez-Leal, J Nixon-Abell, CA Barrero, J Gordon, MC Rico

    Downregulated Wnt/β-catenin signalling in the Down syndrome hippocampus.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43820-4
    Journal: Sci Rep
    E-pub date: 13 May 2019
    Authors: S Granno, J Nixon-Abell, DC Berwick, J Tosh, G Heaton, S Almudimeegh, Z Nagda, J-C Rain, M Zanda, V Plagnol, VLJ Tybulewicz, K Cleverley, FK Wiseman, EMC Fisher, K Harvey

    RNA Granules Hitchhike on Lysosomes for Long-Distance Transport, Using Annexin A11 as a Molecular Tether

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3312723
    Journal:
    E-pub date: 1 Jan 2019
    Authors: Y-C Liao, M Fernandopulle, G Wang, H Choi, L Hao, CM Drerup, S Qamar, J Nixon-Abell, Y Shen, W Meadows, M Vendruscolo, T Knowles, M Nelson, M Czekalska, G Musteikyte, R Patel, C Stephens, A Pasolli, L Forrest, PS George-Hyslop, J Lippincott-Schwartz, ME Ward

    Triggered Cell-Cell Fusion Assay for Cytoplasmic and Organelle Intermixing Studies.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/cpcb.61
    Journal: Curr Protoc Cell Biol
    E-pub date: 1 Dec 2018
    Authors: D Feliciano, J Nixon-Abell, J Lippincott-Schwartz

    Proteomic analysis reveals co-ordinated alterations in protein synthesis and degradation pathways in LRRK2 knockout mice.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddy232
    Journal: Hum Mol Genet
    E-pub date: 15 Sep 2018
    Authors: L Pellegrini, DN Hauser, Y Li, A Mamais, A Beilina, R Kumaran, A Wetzel, J Nixon-Abell, G Heaton, I Rudenko, M Alkaslasi, N Ivanina, HL Melrose, MR Cookson, K Harvey

    Pathogenic LRRK2 variants are gain-of-function mutations that enhance LRRK2-mediated repression of β-catenin signaling.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1186/s13024-017-0153-4
    Journal: Mol Neurodegener
    E-pub date: 19 Jan 2017
    Authors: DC Berwick, B Javaheri, A Wetzel, M Hopkinson, J Nixon-Abell, S Grannò, AA Pitsillides, K Harvey

    L’RRK de Triomphe: a solution for LRRK2 GTPase activity?

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.1042/BST20160240
    Journal: Biochem Soc Trans
    E-pub date: 15 Dec 2016
    Authors: J Nixon-Abell, DC Berwick, K Harvey

    Protective LRRK2 R1398H Variant Enhances GTPase and Wnt Signaling Activity.

    DOI: http://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2016.00018
    Journal: Front Mol Neurosci
    E-pub date: 1 Aug 2016
    Authors: J Nixon-Abell, DC Berwick, S Grannó, VA Spain, C Blackstone, K Harvey