Mariano Colon-Caraballo, PhD

Education

2007-2012       B.S., Biomedical Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Ponce, PR

2012- 2017      Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce, PR

Thesis Advisor - Dr. Idhaliz Flores-Caldera, Ph.D. “Histone Methylation as an Epigenetic Regulator in Endometriosis”

Postgraduate Education and Training

2017-2018       Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

2019-2024       Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

I am a Research Associate in Dr. Irina Burd’s team at the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, interested in advancing women’s health research. I have a background in cervical and endometrial physiology, epigenetic regulation, and extracellular matrix biology. My doctoral research focused on dissecting the role of histone methylation in endometriosis.  I completed my postdoctoral training in cervical remodeling during term birth and inflammation-mediated premature birth. My current research focuses on developing an inflammation model in non-human primates (baboons) to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving premature cervical ripening and its impact on maternal-fetal health.

Cervical remodeling, preterm birth, pregnancy, extracellular matrix biology

1. Colon-Caraballo, M, Monteiro, JB, Flores, I. H3K27me3 is an Epigenetic Marker of Relevance in Endometriosis. Reprod Sci. 2015 Sep;22(9):1134-42. doi: 10.1177/1933719115578924. Epub 2015 Mar 27. PMID: 25820690; PMCID: PMC5590701.
2. Colon-Caraballo, M, Torres-Reverón A, Soto-Vargas JL, Young S, Lessey B, Mendoza A, Urrutia R, Flores I. Effects of histone methyltransferase inhibition in endometriosis. Biol Reprod. 2018 Aug 1;99(2):293-307. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioy030. PMID: 29408993; PMCID: PMC6373837.
3. Colon-Caraballo, M, Garcia M, Mendoza A, Flores, I. Human Tissue Microarray Reveals Site-Specific Expression of Estrogen Receptors, Progesterone Receptor, and Ki67 in Endometriosis. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2019 Aug;27(7):491-500. doi: 10.1097/PAI.0000000000000663. PMID: 29629944; PMCID: PMC6174114.
4. Nallasamy S, Palacios HH, Setlem R, Colon-Caraballo M, Li K, Cao E, Shankaran M, Hellerstein M, Mahendroo M. Transcriptome and proteome dynamics of cervical remodeling in the mouse during pregnancy. Biol Reprod. 2021;105(5):1257-71. Epub 2021/07/27. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioab144. PubMed PMID: 34309663; PMCID: PMC8599062.
5. Cooley A, Madhukaran S, Stroebele E, Colon-Caraballo M, Wang L, Hon GC, Mahendroo M. Dynamic states of cervical epithelia during pregnancy and epithelial barrier disruption. iScience. 2023 Jan 12;26(2):105953. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.105953. eCollection 2023 Feb 17.
6. Colon-Caraballo M, Rusell S, Myers K, and Mahendroo M. Collagen turnover during cervical remodeling involves both intracellular and extracellular collagen degradation pathways. Biol Reprod 2025 Jan 17. doi: 10.1093/biolre/ioaf012. PMID: 39823285.