Cristel Camacho, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The overarching theme of my research interests and goals has focused on understanding key genetic events that lead to cancer in an effort to identify novel targets that will help improve existing therapies. Currently, I am interested in characterizing the molecular basis of breast cancer phenotypes with an emphasis on PARP biology. ADP-ribosylation mediated by PARP-1 is a frequent post-translation modification in eukaryotes shown to play an extensive role in gene regulation by modulating transcription. In Estrogen Receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers, PARP-1 plays a critical role in the direct control of estrogen-dependent gene expression, in part by modulating the activity of the transcription factor FoxA1. The biological consequences of PARP-1-mediated FoxA1 ADP-ribosylation are currently being explored. The long-term goal is to expand our knowledge of the role of PARP-1-mediated ADP-ribosylation in breast cancer biology by employing an array of biochemical, molecular, genomic and proteomic approaches using cell-based and transgenic mouse models of human breast cancer.
Faculty Profile
Marwa Aljardali, M.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
I joined the Kraus and Camacho Labs in January 2023. I completed my M.D. training in Lebanon in June 2022. As an aspiring obstetrician and gynecologist, I will focus my research on exploring different ways to enhance patient care. My main interests would be investigating novel therapies that could treat gynecologic cancers and finding biomarkers that could be used in clinics to direct the optimal treatment.
Selected Publications
- Aljardali MW, Kremer KM, Parker JE, Fleming E, Chen H, Lea JS, Kraus WL, Camacho CV. Nucleolar Localization of the RNA Helicase DDX21 Predicts Survival Outcomes in Gynecologic Cancers. Cancer Res Commun. 2024 Jun 13;4(6):1495-1504.
- Challa S, Nandu T, Kim HB, Gong X, Renshaw CW, Li WC, Tan X, Aljardali MW, Camacho CV, Chen J, Kraus WL. RACK1 MARylation regulates translation and stress granules in ovarian cancer cells. J Cell Biol. 2025 Feb 3;224(2):e202401101.
Featured Publications
Challa S, Nandu T, Kim HB, Gong X, Renshaw CW, Li WC, Tan X, Aljardali MW, Camacho CV, Chen J, Kraus WL. RACK1 MARylation regulates translation and stress granules in ovarian cancer cells. J Cell Biol. 2025 Feb 3;224(2):e202401101.
Tripathy S, Nagari A, Chiu SP, Nandu T, Camacho CV, Mahendroo M, Kraus WL. Relaxin Modulates the Genomic Actions and Biological Effects of Estrogen in the Myometrium. Endocrinology. 2024 Sep 26;165(11):bqae123.
Chiu SP, Camacho CV, Kraus WL. Development and characterization of recombinant ADP-ribose binding reagents that allow simultaneous detection of mono and poly ADP-ribose. J Biol Chem. 2024 Sep;300(9):107609.
Aljardali MW, Kremer KM, Parker JE, Fleming E, Chen H, Lea JS, Kraus WL, Camacho CV. Nucleolar Localization of the RNA Helicase DDX21 Predicts Survival Outcomes in Gynecologic Cancers. Cancer Res Commun. 2024 Jun 13;4(6):1495-1504.
Kim DS*, Camacho CV*, Setlem R, Kim K, Malladi S, Hou TY, Nandu T, Gadad SS, Kraus WL. Functional Characterization of lncRNA152 as an Angiogenesis-Inhibiting Tumor Suppressor in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers. Mol Cancer Res. 2022 Nov 3;20(11):1623-1635. *equal contribution
Huang D, Camacho CV, Martire S, Nagari A, Setlem R, Gong X, Edwards AD, Chiu SP, Banaszynski LA, Kraus WL. Oncohistone Mutations Occur at Functional Sites of Regulatory ADP-Ribosylation. Cancer Res. 2022 Jul 5;82(13):2361-2377.
Challa S, Ryu KW, Whitaker AL, Abshier JC, Camacho CV, Kraus WL. Development and characterization of new tools for detecting poly(ADP-ribose) in vitro and in vivo. Elife. 2022 Apr 27;11:e72464.
Gadad SS*, Camacho CV*, Malladi V, Hutti CR, Nagari A, Kraus WL. PARP-1 Regulates Estrogen-Dependent Gene Expression in Estrogen Receptor α-Positive Breast Cancer Cells. Mol Cancer Res. 2021 Oct;19(10):1688-1698. *equal contribution
Challa S, Khulpateea BR, Nandu T, Camacho CV, Ryu KW, Chen H, Peng Y, Lea JS, Kraus WL. Ribosome ADP-ribosylation inhibits translation and maintains proteostasis in cancers. Cell. 2021 Aug 19;184(17):4531-4546.e26.
Full publications list
Lab News
(April 3, 2023) - The Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center has awarded an American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant to Dr. Camacho for her proposal titled “Role of PARP-1-mediated FoxA1 ADP-Ribosylation in Breast Cancer Biology.” The grant totals $40,000 and will be used to explore PARP-1-mediated FoxA1 ADP-ribosylation with unprecedented specificity and resolution. The proposed studies aim to provide new insights into the use of PARP inhibitors to treat ERα+ breast cancers and to develop therapeutic strategies to disrupt aberrant signaling pathways associated with mutant FoxA1 luminal breast cancers. These studies will also provide new tools and approaches for studying ADP-ribosylation, ultimately helping to reshape our understanding of these events and their role in breast cancer biology.
Join the Lab!
Postdoctoral training opportunity
A postdoctoral training position is available to study gene regulation in breast cancer. The Camacho Lab has several exciting projects related to hormone signaling and gene regulation, focusing on transcription and nuclear endpoints of cellular signaling pathways. We are interested in a wide variety of model systems and experimental approaches, including biochemistry, molecular biology, animal models, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and computational biology. Projects in the lab are focused on signal-regulated transcription in the chromatin environment of the nucleus, targeting the estrogen and nuclear NAD+ signaling pathways, PARPs, and transcription factors in breast cancer biology.
Candidates must hold a recent Ph.D. and/or M.D. degree. Experience in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Genomics, and/or Computational Biology, leading to publication in peer-reviewed journals is recommended.
Contact Us
Email Address: cristel.camacho@utsouthwestern.edu
Phone Number: 214-648-2442
Physical Address:
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Building J, Room J7.116
Dallas, TX 75390-85