Mycobacterium smegmatis MC2 155

Members of the genus Mycobacterium have been proposed for use in the application of bioremediation processes since they can degrade a wide range of environmentally toxic chemicals, including high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) Brezna, et al., 2003.   M. flavescens PYR-GCK (ATCC 700033) was isolated in the sediment from the Grand Calumet River in northwestern Indiana for its ability to degrade the four-benzene-ring aromatic hydrocarbon, pyrene, as a sole source of carbon and energy.   Strain PYR GCK which has been previously reported as M. flavescens , based on biochemical and fatty acid profiles, (Ross and Cerniglia 1996) was reclassified a Mycobacterium gilvum , according to the similarity in the 16S rDNA sequence with M. gilvum ATCC 43909 (100%) Kim et al, 2005. The genome sequence of M. gilvum PYR-GCK will allowed us to begin to understand the PAH degradation pathway.
Mycobacterium gilvum PYR-GCK (ATCC 700033), formerly M. flavescens, was isolated from river sediment based on its ability to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) such as the four-benzene-ring aromatic hydrocarbon, pyrene, as a sole source of carbon and energy. It also degrades phenanthrene but not benzo(a)pyrene. It is resistant to ampicillin but not to other antibiotics tested, including isoniazid. It is able to form biofilm (adapted from PubMed 17578427).