Researcher Highlights: Dmitry Kretov
Dr. Dmitry Kretov, Oncology Division, CHU de Québec – Université Laval Research Center
Dr. Dmitry Kretov has recently become a Group Leader in the Oncology division at the CHU de Québec – Université Laval Research Center, where he established his lab in January 2025. His research focuses on understanding the role of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs in development and disease. Every mRNA in the cell exists within messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) – dynamic complexes that change their composition throughout different stages of the mRNA life cycle. Dr. Kretov aims to understand how RBPs and microRNAs select their mRNA targets, cooperating with each other within mRNPs, to control mRNA stability and translation during dynamic transitions such as cell differentiation.
Originally from the city of Voronezh in Russia, where he received his B.S. degree, Dmitry moved to the Moscow region to pursue his M.Sc. at the Institute of Protein Research in the laboratory of Dr. Lev Ovchinnikov. During this time, he was introduced to the exciting world of RNA-binding proteins and received training in classical molecular biology and protein biochemistry. Later, during his Ph.D. in the laboratory of David Pastré at the University of Evry in France, Dmitry studied the interplay between different RBPs and mRNA in vitro using a number of biochemical and structural approaches, providing key insights into the role of RBPs in mRNA translation.
For his postdoctoral work, Dr. Kretov decided to use zebrafish as a model for his research, believing that working with an animal model could provide definitive insights into the biological significance of post-transcriptional regulatory factors. To get this training, he joined the newly established lab of Dr. Daniel Cifuentes at Boston University, where he focused on studying the regulation of microRNA biogenesis and its role during hematopoiesis, which resulted in a publication in Molecular Cell. He recently also published his work describing a regulatory axis between microRNA and chromatin regulatory factors that facilitates chromatin condensation during erythropoiesis in Nature Communications.
To investigate how RBPs and microRNAs control mRNA stability, the Kretov lab will utilize a combination of different experimental systems, including zebrafish and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In addition to solving fundamental biological questions, Dr. Kretov is also passionate about developing new molecular tools to study RNA-protein interactions. His postdoctoral work culminated with the development of RBPscan, a novel high throughput approach that allows the quantitative analysis of RNA-protein interactions in vivo (Kretov et al., BioRxiv, 2025). He is very hopeful that this approach will be useful to many researchers working in the field of RNA regulation.
Now, in Quebec City, Dr. Kretov is looking forward to connecting with the Canadian RNA community. He is enjoying the rich cultural life that the city offers and is looking forward to long runs outdoors. If you would like to connect with Dr. Kretov, you can find him on Bluesky @dmitry-kretov.bsky.social or LinkedIn, or reach out via email to dmitry.kretov@crchudequebec.ulaval.ca.
