What DNA Material You Already Carry
What Are “Outside Lines”?
What Specimens We Collect
Every male carries both X & Y chromosomes, and every female carries only X chromosomes. On a sample contributed by a female, we can test either the matrilineal line of descent, or examine the gender-neutral genome via our autosomal tests such as our Fingerprint Plus, Cherokee DNA test, etc.. On a sample contributed by a male, we can test the matrilineal line, patrilineal line, or the gender-neutral (autosomal) genome.
DNA testing cannot “cross over” on gender in family lines. For example, a male donor can only receive pedigree information about his father’s father’s father, etc., or his mother’s mother’s mother, etc. — but not his mother‘s father‘s mother. This is why we refer to the “outside lines” of descent. For a female who wishes to learn about her ancestry, she can learn about her mother’s mother’s mother etc. If a female wants to learn about her father’s ancestry, she would need to ask a male relative to provide a sample, for example a brother from the same father or a male cousin who shares the same grandfather.
For most clients, we will send you a swab collection kit, which you will return to our labs for analysis. if you already have your mtDNA or Y-DNA results, or you have your autosomal results from another company, please contact us as 888-806-2588 to discuss whether your results can be used. If we determine that we are able to use your results, you can order the “report only version” of any product.
Your raw genome is not in a format that we can use for our autosomal tests such as the Cherokee DNA Test or the DNA Fingerprint Test Plus 18 marker panel.