The Science of DNA Art

Here is a quick video from Thrillist.com that illustrates the process of creating your unique DNA portrait.

Get Your DNA Art in 3 Easy Steps:

1 Order Collection Kit and Submit DNA

2 Preview and Approve DNA Artwork Proof

3 Receive DNA Portrait

The Making of DNA art:

Here are the detailed steps involved in the making of a unique DNA portrait. Before we get into making the DNA pictures and canvases here is a brief introduction to DNA:

Everyone is born with a unique set of information inside every cell in their body. This information is composed of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid).

Your complete DNA information set, or genome, is divided into 23 segments of information called chromosomes, which you inherited from your parents. You have two copies of each of your chromosomes, one from your father and the other from your mother. Each chromosome consists of thousands of genes, which are the actual instructions that tell your cells what to do. These instructions are spelled out in molecular letters that make up your DNA, referred to as A, C, G and T.

Most of our genetic code is remarkably similar from person to person. But we each also carry small differences that make us unique. The reason we differ from each other is that we have inherited differences from our ancestors in the genetic code. Yonder Biology allows you to focus on some of these small differences (or similarities within families) by creating your own one-of-a-kind art work based on your unique DNA code.

Typical DNA collection methods:

Blood (preferably yours)

Hair (with bits of scalp)

The ‘van Gogh' method

Cheek swab > Yonder's preferred method!

Court ordered lymph draining

The ‘Cheek Swab' method of DNA collection is painless for most coordinated individuals. This method is also referred to as the buccal swab method of DNA collection.

A sterile cotton swab is removed from its sealed tube and applied to the interior of the cheek. The cotton swab is rolled around the inside of the cheek to gather loose cheek cells. This is best done after not eating or drinking for 20 minutes (although not critical). After rolling the swab around in your mouth for 20 to 30 seconds (or until others on the bus ask what you are doing) remove the swab from your mouth and deposit back into the sterile collection tube.

There is a desiccant in the tube to help dry the saliva coated, cheek cell-laden swab. Once the swab is dry the DNA is safe and stable for months!

DNA Isolation

Yonder Biology uses standard molecular biology techniques to extract the DNA from the cheek cells in the swab. The cells are lysed (broken open) and the DNA is captured on a glass filter and washed with ethanol (or whatever booze is left over from the night before). Finally the DNA is eluted (washed from the filter) into a tube with buffered purified H20 (water).

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

The purified DNA is amplified (1000s of copies are made) using PCR and primers specific for regions of your DNA. Primers or DNA oligos are short pieces of DNA that match our DNA sequence in regions that are similar. The regions between the primers (100 to 1000 bases) are usually variable sizes. These regions are called STRs (Short Terminal Repeats) or microsatellites. Just Google it.

PCR is a fascinating and a Nobel Prize winning technique. And it is the main reason Kary Mullis was able to get laid in the 80s.

Schematic drawing of the PCR cycle. (1) Denaturing at 94-96 °C. (2) Annealing at ~65 °C (3) Elongation at 72 °C.

Four cycles are shown here. The blue lines represent the DNA template to which primers (red arrows) anneal that are extended by the DNA polymerase (light green circles), to give shorter DNA products (green lines), which themselves are used as templates as PCR progresses.

After PCR the amplified PCR products are then loaded onto gel matrix for gel electrophoresis. Your amplified DNA is then separated by size as it passes through the gel matrix. The movement of DNA through the gel is caused by passing an electrical current through the gel while it is in a running buffer. DNA has a negative charge and is slowly attracted to the positive electrode. As DNA passes through the gel - the smaller fragments move faster than the larger amplified fragments. This causes the separation pattern you see in the final image.

From the DNA image we can tell if you are a girl or a boy (no extra charge). Aside from seeing similarities with your relatives (which is very cool and fun by the way), very little can be gleaned from these gel images.

Here are some answers to your questions:

Is cheek swab collection the only option you offer? Unfortunately yes. We were tired of receiving body parts and bloody clothing.

Do you offer other types of services? Yes! We will soon be offering whole genome sequencing (google it).

Can you do this with whale DNA? No. But we have designed primers for DOGS and currently offer Doggy DNA portraits.

What DNA primers do you use? Our primer choices are considered proprietary but we will share the chromosome locations if you are a paying customer.

Can you determine any medical information from my DNA Art image? No! There is no discernable medical information presented by this method of DNA gel imaging.

What do you do with my DNA after the gel is completed? We store it away for our ongoing human cloning projects. Actually we destroy all leftover DNA 4 weeks after the image is generated and you are completely satisfied.

Can you get some shovels and meet me at Forest Lawn- I want to dig up my Dad and get his DNA portrait done? You might think this is a joke but we really received this call. While intriguing- this is not within our current capabilities or moral boundaries.