Phylogenetic analysis of PCR-cloned superoxide dismutase revealed a new monophylectic clade of Mycolibacterium fortuitum

The superoxide dismutase (SOD) gene has been identified as a target in screening for the presence of mycobacteria on the genus level and differentiating relevant mycobacterial species from one another by PCR. The sequence of SOD gene in PCR-clone of Mycobacterium fortuitum isolated from soil was analyzed. M. fortuitum isolated from soil was characterized by conventional tests, subjected to PCR and the cloned-PCR product was sequenced and analyzed. PCR-cloned sequence of SOD gene from M. fortuitum on the BLAST analysis showed that our PCR-cloned sequence of SOD gene from M. fortuitum had very high homology (>90%) with SOD sequences reported in various Mycolibacterium spp and Mycobacterium spp including Mycolibacterium fortuitum and Mycolibacterium smegmatis. The cloned sequence mapped to the whole genome of W6 chromosome in Mycolibacterium fortuitum formed a distinct monophylectic clade from other SOD gene sequences.