Digital art reveals cellular secrets

with Marzia Munafò

Marzia Munafò is a molecular biologist currently studying inter-generational inheritance in the mouse by analysing epigenetics - which is the study of how our behaviours and environment can change how genes work. She revisited her lifelong love of art during her PhD, while merging her scientific knowledge with her artistic and digital illustrative skills. Marzia’s digital SciArt is rather unconventional, in the unique, imaginative and metaphorical ways her images are presented. Find out for yourself in the following pages!

Q & A - Marzia Munafò

Please tell us about how you got into molecular biology and about your current postdoctoral studies in inter-generational epigenetic inheritance in mammals.

I became fascinated with biology during middle school, when learning about Mendel’s laws of inheritance, but did not consider becoming a scientist until much later. After high school I decided to pursue a research career mainly because I sought to find a job that would fulfil my innate curiosity and passion for learning, and biology came as a somewhat natural choice. I didn’t know much about molecular biology back then, but I clearly remember getting hooked to it during my second year of uni while learning about transcription, gene regulation and microRNAs. I immediately fell in love with the topic and spent several years (from master to PhD) doing research in the field of RNA biology. I am incredibly fascinated by the molecular mechanisms that govern life inside the cell and this excitement transfers into my illustrations. Having gained a solid background in RNA molecular biology, I wanted to switch gears for my postdoc and dive into something new. I am currently investigating inter-generational epigenetic inheritance in the mouse, which is an immensely fascinating topic. The gametes transmit to the zygote much more than “just” DNA and we know very little about how this inherited non-genetic information can shape embryonic development. It also has very broad, long-term societal implications on our understanding of how parental environment can shape offspring fitness.

How did you get started creating science-inspired illustrations and what inspired you?

I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember and for quite some time I have been torn between a career in art or in science. I became interested in the science illustration world during my PhD, when I started to realise that I really enjoyed creating graphics for my figures and presentations and generally communicating my work visually. I also noticed that this was not a common feeling among fellow scientists and many were glad to outsource the graphical work. So I started helping out colleagues and friends with their figures and then the opportunity came up to submit a creative cover proposal to the journal Genes & Development. I also started illustrating for the University of Cambridge science magazine (BlueSci) and reaching out to professional illustrators asking for advice, until in 2020 I got my first external commission!

I can think of two main reasons that prompted me to start creating scienceinspired illustrations. On one hand the desire to make science more engaging and accessible, especially at a time in which scientists and the general public seem to live on two different planets. On the other hand, I really needed to find on outlet for my creative self, which was getting a bit frustrated by the up-and-downs of experimental work. It was very important to have my own happy place to switch the brain off and recharge batteries. I think I like to imagine and reinterpret molecules and pathways in an unconventional way primarily because it gives me a unique perspective on science that is entirely different from the rigorous and schematic approach I have at work.

You cover a nice range of styles and formats, from very imaginative illustrations to graphical abstracts. What techniques and digital software do you use?

For creative illustrations I almost exclusively use Procreate on the iPad and do the final adjustments on Adobe Photoshop. For graphical abstracts and technical figures I use Adobe Illustrator.

Please discuss two of your favourite unconventional science illustrations. Why have you presented them this way and what do they represent?

Among my favourite illustrations from 2021 is the one on the repressive effect of RNA methylation on splicing.

It was a challenging one to design, since we wanted m6A to lead the scene, but at the same time we had to clearly depict its negative effect on splicing. I wanted something creative and different from the usual representations of splicing, so I came up with the idea of using glowing lamps to represent the nucleotide in its methylated vs unmethylated state.

In the illustration, when the 3’ splice site is unmethylated, the lamp glows bright thus attracting moths, representing splice factors.

When m6A is present, the dimly lit lamp isn’t “seen” anymore by the moths, indicating that factors such as U2AF35 cannot recognize the splice site anymore.

The second one represents the discovery of splicing modulation as a potential anti-cancer therapy. Altered splicing in cancer cells can lead to the production of neoantigens which, once exposed on the cell surface, make the tumor readily recognizable by the immune system. This can be quite a dark, daunting theme (especially to non scientists) so I really wanted to use a positive imagery. I generally like drawing natural elements, so I thought of representing the process of neoantigen generation as “blooming flowers” on a tree.

The repertoire of antigens shown on the surface of cancer cells (symbolised by the tree, as shown on the front cover of this magazine issue) stems from the pool of transcripts produced within the cell (the roots).

When the tree is “fertilised” with a splicing modulator, splicing patterns are altered, hence its roots are overgrown and entangled, and this leads to the production of aberrant proteins (see front cover image). Some of these proteins bloom into neoantigens, bright “flowers” on the surface of cancer cells that can be recognised by the immune system and thus enhance the endogenous response against the tumour.

Final thoughts

During Marzia Munafò’s PhD exploring RNA biology, she sought a relaxing outlet through the creation of figures and illustrative visuals for her scientific work, before branching out further and using her talent to provide informative graphics for other scientists.

While she is fueled by a fascination about molecular mechansims that are behind life and our cells, Marzia has always had a love for art, having drawn since she can remember. With her knowledge of molecular biology, she beautifully incorporates her artistic skills to create memorable digital SciArt. Through the enjoyment of the creative process, she is inspired to make science more engaging and accessible, since the disciplines can seem worlds apart these days.

Bio

Dr. Marzia Munafò is a molecular biologist and also a scientific illustrator. She earned a PhD in medical sciences at the University of Cambridge (UK) and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). In her free time, Marzia combines her scientific education with her passion for drawing in the creation of unconventional, science-inspired illustrations.

Links

Email: Info.munafomarzia@gmail.com Website: www.munafomarzia.com Twitter and Instagram: @munafomarzia