VOLUME 12, NUMBER 19 • APRIL 6, 2001

Khitrov Is New director of the Gene Array Facility

The Stoffel lab’s recent discovery of a link between diabetes and cholesterol (see story on next page) would not have been possible without the powerful new DNA microarray technology. All laboratories at Rockefeller will be able to use this technology at the new Gene Array Facility, directed by Gregory Khitrov.

Khitrov, who has built up the facility from scratch since he arrived at Rockefeller last June, will produce high-quality microarrays as well as oversee a variety of other services offered by the facility, including scanning, data analysis, data archiving and technical support.

Khitrov heads a new facility that will give researchers at Rockefeller a chance to use microarrays without having to worry about the cost.

DNA microarrays are extremely effective tools for observing the behavior of thousands of genes in a single experiment. Their role in biology is becoming increasingly important as the number of sequenced genomes continues to rise. The Gene Array Facility will provide Rockefeller researchers with a rapid and inexpensive way to analyze this growing mass of genetic information.

"This is a wonderful tool for studying the function of known genes as well as new ones," says Khitrov. "The facility will give researchers at Rockefeller a chance to use microarrays without having to worry about the cost."

At the present time, the facility is equipped with several high-precision robots and already is capable of producing high-quality microarrays. Khitrov says that mouse microarrays, consisting of approximately 10,000 genes, are currently available. Furthermore, he is in the process of purchasing genes for human microarrays, which he estimates should be ready by July. Custom-designed microarrays and protein chips also will be available.

"Gregory is doing a wonderful job of setting up the technology. He’s got a good science mind and an excellent sense of business," says Professor Ali Hemmati Brivanlou, head of the Laboratory of Molecular Vertebrate Embryology. Hemmati Brivanlou, who implements microarrays in his own studies of frog development, played a role in establishing the facility.

Researchers use microarrays to observe the changing patterns of gene expression as cells are placed under different conditions. The microarray itself is constructed by spotting genes from a specific organism onto a glass slide with the aid of a high-precision robot. The spotted array then is covered with messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules from cells in two different states. For each state, the mRNA has been tagged with differently colored fluorescent dyes, usually red or green. Those mRNA probes that have complementary genes on the microarray will stick, while the others will be washed off. Finally, a laser scanner detects the remaining red and green fluorescently tagged mRNAs, and a computer program indicates which genes they bound to.

Born and raised in Russia, Khitrov immigrated to the United States with his family in 1990. He received his B.S. in biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1997 and his M.S. in biological sciences from New York University in 2000.

In his spare time, Khitrov tries to squeeze in as much swimming as he can. Though he prefers to swim in the ocean——he was a lifeguard at Coney Island from 1990 to 1994——he has spent quite a bit of time swimming in pools: In 1996 he qualified to go to the Olympics in Atlanta as a member of the U.S. Swimming Team, but declined the offer because he didn’t want to interrupt his studies.

While a graduate student, Khitrov used Affymetrix DNA chips——a patented version of microarrays, which employs short pieces of DNA in place of whole genes——to characterize the effects of UV light on gene expression. Amazed by the power of the then brand-new technology, Khitrov knew that he wanted to further explore the technique. Directing the Gene Array Facility, he says, is exactly the kind of opportunity he was looking for.

Professor Jeffrey Friedman is chairman of the Gene Array Committee, and Richard Pearson is the facility’s full-time technician. Equipment includes the Microgrid II robot from BioRobotics for making microarrays; a laser confocal scanner from GSI Lumonics for detecting fluorescent probes; a CCD-based scanner from Applied Precision, also for detecting probes, and an Affymetrix DNA chip fluidic station and scanner. The Gene Array Facility will be moving from its temporary location on the 8th floor of the Rockefeller Research Building to the 7th floor of Weiss in June.

For more information on the facility, including an animated movie depicting how microarrays work, see the Web site at http://www.rockefeller.edu/genearray/.