If I am given the dissymmetry ratio of an organism ((A+T)/(G+C) is a constant), how can I identify the source of the DNA and classify the organism?
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2$\begingroup$ What information have you found so far on your own? $\endgroup$– kmmAug 30, 2016 at 17:39
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1$\begingroup$ @kmm uhh absolutely nothing scratches head $\endgroup$– Adit KirtaniAug 30, 2016 at 17:47
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3$\begingroup$ The point is that we need to better understand you motivation for trying to do this. What do you know, what do you need to know, etc. Take a look at the tour to see how the site works: biology.stackexchange.com/tour Without more information, your question will likely be closed as either too broad or without sufficient information. $\endgroup$– kmmAug 30, 2016 at 17:50
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$\begingroup$ You cannot. That information is too little for identification. $\endgroup$– WYSIWYGDec 29, 2016 at 6:01
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2 Answers
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It depends what lineage (bacteria, virus, eukaryotes) you are interested in and what level of accuracy you are hoping to reach.
We know the (A+T)/(G+C) ratio for a handful of eukaryotes only. So if you were thinking about eukaryotes, there is no need to look much further. You cannot match a (A+T)/(G+C) ratio to a species because we don't know the (A+T)/(G+C) for the vast majority of species.
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You could compare the (A+T)/(G+C) to those of higher orders; see "applications in systematics" on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GC-content
( While the (A+T)/(G+C) ratio doesn't provide enough resolution to identify the species, OP didn't ask for identification of species.)
