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Department of Physiology and Aging College of Medicine
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Rene Opavsky

Rene Opavsky, PhD

Professor

Department: MD-ANATOMY
Business Phone: (352) 294-8596
Business Email: ropavsky@ufl.edu

On This Page

Teaching Profile

Courses Taught

  1. GMS6647 – Transcriptional and Translational Control of Cell Growth and Proliferation

    College of Medicine

  2. GMS6691 – Special Topics in Cell Biology and Anatomy

    College of Medicine

  3. GMS6421 – Cell Biology

    College of Medicine

  4. GMS6061 – Nuclear Structure and Dynamics

    College of Medicine

  5. GMS6064 – Tumor Biology

    College of Medicine

  6. GMS6001 – Fundamentals of Biomedical Sciences I

    College of Medicine

  7. GMS6335 – Advanced Stem Cell Biology: Tissue Engineering

    College of Medicine

Research Profile

Cytosine methylation is a heritable epigenetic modification affecting gene transcription and the integrity of the genome. In human malignancies, aberrant DNA methylation is the most commonly observed epimutation, often manifested by promoter hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes and hypomethylation of intergenic non-coding regions. The DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B are the enzymes primarily responsible for methylation of CpG dinucleotides in mammalian DNA. Mutations in the coding sequence of DNMT3A are frequently found in human hematologic malignancies indicating that decreased DNMT3A activity may promote tumorigenesis in multiple hematopoietic lineages. Using targeted inactivation of Dnmt3a in mice Opavsky lab showed that Dnmt3a plays a tumor suppressor role in prevention of chronic B-cell lymphocytic leukemia, peripheral T cell lymphoma and myeloproliferative disease. Furthermore, Dnmt3b is a tumor suppressor gene in prevention of MYC-induced T cell lymphomas. Promoter hypomethylation accompanied by increased gene expression was found to be a frequent event in both mouse and human hematologic malignancies.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Current projects in Opavsky lab focus on evaluation of functions performed by DNMTs in normal and malignant hematopoiesis utilizing mouse models, genome-wide approaches and in vivo functional studies of DNMT target genes. We are in particular interested in a role of promoter hypomethylation in cellular transformation in order to identify oncogenes for therapeutic targeting.

Publications

Academic Articles

Grants

  1. The Florida Summer Training in Research and Oncology for the Next Generation of Researchers (STRONGER) Program

    Active

    Role:
    Faculty
    Funding:
    NATL INST OF HLTH NCI

  2. Dnmt3b activities in mouse development

    Active

    Role:
    Principal Investigator
    Funding:
    NATL INST OF HLTH NIGMS

  3. The Tumor Suppressor Function of Dnmt3a in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

    Role:
    Principal Investigator
    Funding:
    NATL INST OF HLTH NCI

  4. UF Health Cancer Center Pilot Project Grants funded through the Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program

    Role:
    Project Manager
    Funding:
    UF HEALTH SHANDS HOSPITAL

Education

  1. PhD, Molecular Biology

    Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

  2. MSc, Biochemistry

    Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Contact Details

Phones:
Business:
(352) 294-8596
Emails:
Business:
ropavsky@ufl.edu
Addresses:
Business Mailing:
PO Box 103633
 GAINESVILLE FL 32610
Business Street:
CGRC 258
2033 MOWRY RD
 Gainesville FL 32610