Patent ID: 8532934
Filing Date: 2013-09-10
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
1. A method for obtaining data for taxonomic assignment of unknown species comprising: (a) selecting from more than one known species a divergent segment of DNA with low average information content surrounded by two conserved segments of DNA wherein said conserved segments comprise DNA segments with high average information content and wherein information content is determined by average information in bits of a related set of sequences and represents the total sequence conservation calculated by: b=[A,G,C,T] wherein f(b,l) is the frequency of each base b (A,G,C, and T) at position l, and e(nl) is a generalized correction term determined by Shannon's Uncertainty for a sample size n at position l, (b) selecting primers for PCR amplification of said divergent segment such that said primers anneal to said conserved segments in any of these one or more unknown species, wherein each primer contains a mixture of nucleotides in which each nucleotide is present at the same proportion as it is present in the set of sequences of the known species used to compute the information content; (c) amplifying said divergent segment of DNA by PCR technique using said primers to obtain PCR products; (d) separating said PCR products; (e) comparing said separated PCR products with a database consisting of properties that can be converted or derived from a subject sequence and from similar sequences distinguishable from the subject sequence, wherein said properties are selected from the group consisting of nucleotide composition, base composition, nucleotide sequence, DNA structure, mass ratio of the DNA molecules or fragments derived therefrom, chemical reactivity of the DNA molecules, binding properties to other DNA molecules or proteins, thermal stability, and combination thereof; (f) measuring a taxonomic distance of said properties between said separated PCR products and organisms in said database; and (g) assigning a taxonomic reference to said separated PCR products based upon said properties, wherein the PCR products are separated by means selected from the group consisting of magnetic separation, gel purification, mass spectrometry and by limiting dilution of mixtures of amplicons into multiple aliquots with each aliquot containing a distinct individual DNA molecule, and combination thereof.