Marianna Trakala, PHD
Department of Genetics, Division of Division of Discovery Science
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, Division of Discovery Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2014 | Universidad Autonoma de Madrid,, Madrid, Spain, Molecular Biology, PhD |
| 2008 | National Center of Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain, Immunology, MS |
| 2005 | University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece, Biochemistry & Biotechnology, BS |
Experience & Service
Other Professional Positions
Research Scientist, David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT Cambridge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2020 - 2024
Postdoctoral Training, David Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT Cambridge, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2015 - 2020
Graduate Training, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Universidad, Madrid, 2009 - 2015
Undergraduate student, Salk institute, La Jolla, 2008 - 2009
Erasmus Student, Faculty of Medicine, Granada, 2005 - 2008
Undergraduate Student, University of Thessaly, Larisa, 2005 - 2006
Undergraduate Student, Univesity Hospital of Larisa, Larisa, 2003 - 2004
Honors & Awards
| 2024 | CPRIT First-Time Recruitment Grant, CPRIT |
| 2020 | ERC Synergy Grant MIT, European Research Council |
| 2019 | Peter Karches Mentorship Prize, Koch Institute at MIT |
| 2017 - 2018 | Ludwig Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, Koch Institute at MIT |
| 2015 - 2017 | EMBO Postdoctoral Long-term fellowship Award |
| 2014 | Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral fellowship |
| 2014 | La Caixa Award |
| 2006 - 2009 | JAE-CSIC Fellowship Award |
| 2004 - 2005 | Erasmus/Socrates Scholarship |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Ban I, Tomasic L, Trakala M, Tolic IM, Pavin N. Proliferative advantage of specific aneuploid cells drives evolution of tumor karyotypes. Biophys J 122(4):632-645, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36654508.
- Villarroya-Beltri C, Osorio A, Torres-Ruiz R, Gomez-Sanchez D, Trakala M, Sanchez-Belmonte A, Mercadillo F, Hurtado B, Pitarch B, Hernandez-Nunez A, Gomez-Caturla A, Rueda D, Perea J, Rodriguez-Perales S, Malumbres M, Urioste M. Biallelic germline mutations in MAD1L1 induce a syndrome of aneuploidy with high tumor susceptibility. Sci Adv 8(44):eabq5914, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36322655.
- Trakala M, Aggarwal M, Sniffen C, Zasadil L, Carroll A, Ma D, Su XA, Wangsa D, Meyer A, Sieben CJ, Zhong J, Hsu PH, Paradis G, Ried T, Holland A, Van Deursen J, Amon A. Clonal selection of stable aneuploidies in progenitor cells drives high-prevalence tumorigenesis. Genes Dev 35(15-16):1079-1092, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34266888.
- Salazar-Roa M, Trakala M, Alvarez-Fernandez M, Valdes-Mora F, Zhong C, Munoz J, Yu Y, Peters TJ, Grana-Castro O, Serrano R, Zapatero-Solana E, Abad M, Bueno MJ, Gomez de Cedron M, Fernandez-Piqueras J, Serrano M, Blasco MA, Wang DZ, Clark SJ, Izpisua-Belmonte JC, Ortega S, Malumbres M. Transient exposure to miR-203 enhances the differentiation capacity of established pluripotent stem cells. EMBO J 39(16):e104324, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32614092.
- Marjanovic ND, Hofree M, Chan JE, Canner D, Wu K, Trakala M, Hartmann GG, Smith OC, Kim JY, Evans KV, Hudson A, Ashenberg O, Porter CBM, Bejnood A, Subramanian A, Pitter K, Yan Y, Delorey T, Phillips DR, Shah N, Chaudhary O, Tsankov A, Hollmann T, Rekhtman N, Massion PP, Poirier JT, Mazutis L, Li R, Lee JH, Amon A, Rudin CM, Jacks T, Regev A, Tammela T. Emergence of a High-Plasticity Cell State during Lung Cancer Evolution. Cancer Cell 38(2):229-246.e13, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32707077.
- Tomas-Loba A, Manieri E, Gonzalez-Teran B, Mora A, Leiva-Vega L, Santamans AM, Romero-Becerra R, Rodriguez E, Pintor-Chocano A, Feixas F, Lopez JA, Caballero B, Trakala M, Blanco O, Torres JL, Hernandez-Cosido L, Montalvo-Romeral V, Matesanz N, Roche-Molina M, Bernal JA, Mischo H, Leon M, Caballero A, Miranda-Saavedra D, Ruiz-Cabello J, Nevzorova YA, Cubero FJ, Bravo J, Vazquez J, Malumbres M, Marcos M, Osuna S, Sabio G. p38gamma is essential for cell cycle progression and liver tumorigenesis. Nature 568(7753):557-560, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 30971822.
- Hurtado B, Trakala M, Ximenez-Embun P, El Bakkali A, Partida D, Sanz-Castillo B, Alvarez-Fernandez M, Maroto M, Sanchez-Martinez R, Martinez L, Munoz J, Garcia de Frutos P, Malumbres M. Thrombocytopenia-associated mutations in Ser/Thr kinase MASTL deregulate actin cytoskeletal dynamics in platelets. J Clin Invest 128(12):5351-5367, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30252678.
- Tang YC, Yuwen H, Wang K, Bruno PM, Bullock K, Deik A, Santaguida S, Trakala M, Pfau SJ, Zhong N, Huang T, Wang L, Clish CB, Hemann MT, Amon A. Aneuploid Cell Survival Relies upon Sphingolipid Homeostasis. Cancer Res 77(19):5272-5286, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28775166.
- Trakala M, Partida D, Salazar-Roa M, Maroto M, Wachowicz P, de Carcer G, Malumbres M. Activation of the endomitotic spindle assembly checkpoint and thrombocytopenia in Plk1-deficient mice. Blood 126(14):1707-14, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26185128.
- Gonzalez-Loyola A, Fernandez-Miranda G, Trakala M, Partida D, Samejima K, Ogawa H, Canamero M, de Martino A, Martinez-Ramirez A, de Carcer G, Perez de Castro I, Earnshaw WC, Malumbres M. Aurora B Overexpression Causes Aneuploidy and p21Cip1 Repression during Tumor Development. Mol Cell Biol 35(20):3566-78, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26240282.
- Di Pilato M, Mejias-Perez E, Zonca M, Perdiguero B, Gomez CE, Trakala M, Nieto J, Najera JL, Sorzano CO, Combadiere C, Pantaleo G, Planelles L, Esteban M. NFkappaB activation by modified vaccinia virus as a novel strategy to enhance neutrophil migration and HIV-specific T-cell responses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 112(11):E1333-42, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25739961.
- Trakala M, Rodriguez-Acebes S, Maroto M, Symonds CE, Santamaria D, Ortega S, Barbacid M, Mendez J, Malumbres M. Functional reprogramming of polyploidization in megakaryocytes. Dev Cell 32(2):155-67, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25625205.
- Trakala M, Malumbres M. Cyclin C surprises in tumour suppression. Nat Cell Biol 16(11):1031-3, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25358351.
- Trakala M, Malumbres M. The functional relevance of polyploidization in the skin. Exp Dermatol 23(2):92-3, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24330335.
- Alvarez-Fernandez M, Sanchez-Martinez R, Sanz-Castillo B, Gan PP, Sanz-Flores M, Trakala M, Ruiz-Torres M, Lorca T, Castro A, Malumbres M. Greatwall is essential to prevent mitotic collapse after nuclear envelope breakdown in mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110(43):17374-9, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24101512.
- Trakala M, Fernandez-Miranda G, Perez de Castro I, Heeschen C, Malumbres M. Aurora B prevents delayed DNA replication and premature mitotic exit by repressing p21(Cip1). Cell Cycle 12(7):1030-41, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23428904.
- Kakani EG, Trakala M, Drosopoulou E, Mavragani-Tsipidou P, Mathiopoulos KD. Genomic structure, organization and localization of the acetylcholinesterase locus of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae. Bull Entomol Res 103(1):36-47, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 22967668.
- Fernandez-Miranda G, Trakala M, Martin J, Escobar B, Gonzalez A, Ghyselinck NB, Ortega S, Canamero M, Perez de Castro I, Malumbres M. Genetic disruption of aurora B uncovers an essential role for aurora C during early mammalian development. Development 138(13):2661-72, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21613325.
- Trakala M, Arias CF, Garcia MI, Moreno-Ortiz MC, Tsilingiri K, Fernandez PJ, Mellado M, Diaz-Meco MT, Moscat J, Serrano M, Martinez-A C, Balomenos D. Regulation of macrophage activation and septic shock susceptibility via p21(WAF1/CIP1). Eur J Immunol 39(3):810-9, 2009. e-Pub 2009. PMID: 19224635.
- Liakopoulos V, Petinaki E, Bouchlariotou S, Mertens PR, Trakala M, Kourti P, Riehl J, Ikonomov V, Stefanidis I. Group B Streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae) peritonitis associated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Clin Nephrol 62(5):391-6, 2004. e-Pub 2004. PMID: 15571187.
- Kolonitsiou F, Mani V, Parikou H, Trakala M, Dimitracopoulos G, Spiliopoulou I. The emergence of glycopeptide-resistant Enterococcus faecium in a university hospital in southwestern Greece. Chemotherapy 50(5):245-9, 2004. e-Pub 2004. PMID: 15528890.
- Trakala M. Aneuploidy induces an immunoproteasome switch in epithelial cells for immune-mediated tissue remodeling.
- Jayabalan R, Gonzalez-Delgado R, Montanez L, Pan J, Kfuri-Rubens R, Li R, Chang J, Kugeratsk F, Islam S, Magadalen J, Li J, Rankothgedera S, Zappulli V, Assmann V, Rozario T, Thian M, Wild A, Trakala M, Steinkasserer A, Li Z, Di Pilato M. CD83 on CCR7+DC limits intratumoral CD8+ T cells infiltration and promotes tumor growth. Immunity.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified March 04, 2026