Personal profile
Overview
Research in my group is focused on elucidating mechanical sensing and response in ion channels. We investigate how ion channels sense forces in membranes and open their pores in response to mechanical stimuli. The main method we employ is Pulsed ELectron-ELectron DOuble Resonance (PELDOR) spectroscopy, (also known as DEER spectroscopy), complemented by Cryo Electron Micrsocopy (cryoEM) and electrophysiology to characterise mechanosensitive ion channels.
We further study the BAM complex, which is an essential membrane protein complex involved in the folding of outer membrane proteins in gram negative bacteria, using in-cell Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.
More details about our group, research activities, news and current lab members could be found in the Pliotas Group Research Website
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Biochemistry, University of Aberdeen
1 Oct 2007 → 31 Jan 2011
Award Date: 6 Jul 2011
Master of Science, Medical Physics, University of Aberdeen
20 Sept 2006 → 30 Sept 2007
Award Date: 1 Oct 2007
Bachelor of Science, Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Award Date: 6 Jul 2006
External positions
Lecturer in Integrative Membrane Biology, University of Leeds
5 Sept 2018 → 8 Jun 2023
Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Fellow & Group Leader, University of St Andrews
1 Jan 2016 → 1 Jan 2021
Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of St Andrews
1 Feb 2011 → 31 Dec 2015
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Biotechnology
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology
Keywords
- membrane protein
- EPR spectroscopy
- Structural Biology
- CryoEM
- Mechanobiology
- Ion channel
- Lipids
- Antimicrobial resistance
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Darobactin B Stabilises a Lateral‐Closed Conformation of the BAM Complex in E. coli Cells
Haysom, S. F., Machin, J., Whitehouse, J. M., Horne, J. E., Fenn, K., Ma, Y., Mkami, H. E., Böhringer, N., Schäberle, T. F., Ranson, N. A., Radford, S. E. & Pliotas, C., 21 Aug 2023, In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 62, 34, e202218783.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Pocket delipidation induced by membrane tension or modification leads to a structurally analogous mechanosensitive channel state
Wang, B., Lane, B. J., Kapsalis, C., Ault, J. R., Sobott, F., Mkami, H. E., Calabrese, A. N., Kalli, A. C. & Pliotas, C., 7 Apr 2022, In: Structure.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Allosteric activation of an ion channel triggered by modification of mechanosensitive nano-pockets
Kapsalis, C., Wang, B., Mkami, H. E., Pitt, S. J., Schnell, J. R., Smith, T. K., Lippiat, J. D., Bode, B. E. & Pliotas, C., 10 Oct 2019, In: Nature Communications. 10, p. 1-14 14 p., 4619.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Swapped and non-swapped TRAAK states co-exist in membranes at a ratio influenced by temperature
Ma, Y., Ackermann, K., Waheed, Q., Postis, V., Smith, T. K., Bode, B. E. & Pliotas, C., 5 Mar 2026, In: Nature Communications.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Conformational dynamics and asymmetry in multimodal inhibition of membrane-bound pyrophosphatases
Liu, J., Shah, A., Liu, X., Wort, J. L., Ma, Y., Hardman, K., Johansson, N., Ribeiro, O., Brookfield, A., Bowen, A., Yli-Kauhaluoma, J., Xhaard, H., Jeuken, L., Goldman, A., Pliotas, C. & Vidilaseris, K., 13 Nov 2025, In: eLife.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
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Deciphering complex machineries that produce ribosomally synthesised natural products
Pliotas, C. (PI) & Politis, A. (CoI)
1/11/23 → 31/10/26
Project: Research
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Deciphering the structural origins of functional multimodality in bacterial mechanosensitive ion channels
Pliotas, C. (PI)
1/06/23 → 31/01/24
Project: Research
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Greece: Dissecting the physiological role of MscS-like mechanosensitive channels in a model filamentous fungus
Pliotas, C. (PI)
1/06/23 → 31/05/24
Project: Research
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Dynamics and catalysis in integral membrane pyrophosphatases
Pliotas, C. (PI)
1/06/23 → 31/07/24
Project: Research
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BioEmPiRe; Accessing uncharted but essential landscapes to biological machineries by pulse EPR
Pliotas, C. (PI)
1/01/23 → 31/07/23
Project: Research
Prizes
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Sir Robin MacLellan Prize
Pliotas, C. (Recipient), 22 Jun 2022
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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BBSRC New Investigator Award
Pliotas, C. (Recipient), 23 Jun 2019
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Fellowship
Pliotas, C. (Recipient), 1 Jan 2016
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB)
Pliotas, C. (Recipient), 1 Jan 2024
Prize: Election to learned society
Activities
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International EPR Society (External organisation)
Pliotas, C. (Academic expert member)
1 Dec 2024 → 30 Nov 2027Activity: Membership › Membership of committee › Research
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56th Annual Meeting of the ESR Spectroscopy Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry
Pliotas, C. (Chair)
27 Mar 2023 → 30 Mar 2023Activity: Participating in or organising event(s) › Organising a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc › Research
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Biochemical Society (External organisation)
Pliotas, C. (Academic expert member)
2023 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of professional association › Teaching and Research
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Royal Society of Biology (External organisation)
Pliotas, C. (Academic expert member)
1 Jul 2022 → 31 Dec 2023Activity: Membership › Membership of professional association › Teaching and Research
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The Royal Society of Chemistry (External organisation)
Pliotas, C. (Academic expert member)
2021 → …Activity: Membership › Membership of professional association › Teaching and Research