Identification of Suitable Internal Control Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Expression Analyses in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Brand ◽  
Ran Hovav

Abstract Real-time qPCR is currently the most sensitive technique available for the detection of low-level mRNA expression. For more reliable and precise gene expression analyses, real-time PCR data for a sequence of interest must be normalized against that of a control gene, which is uniformly expressed in various tissues and during different phases of development. So far, suitable internal controls for gene expression studies in peanut have not been identified. We assessed the expression of 10 frequently used housekeeping genes, specifically ubq10, gapdh, hel1, yls8, 14-3-3, 60s, ubc, ef-1α, act7, and adh3. Using the algorithms available through the GeNorm and NormFinder programs, the stability of their expression was estimated in a set of five diverse peanut tissue samples derived from a Virginia-type peanut cultivar (Shulamit). Collectively, the gene with the most stable expression across all of the examined tissues and both programs was adh3, followed by 60s and yls8, which had minimal estimated intra- and inter-tissue variation. The stability of two stable reference genes (adh3 and yls8) compared with two less stable (14-3-3 and ubq10) reference genes was validated in unpooled tissue samples from five peanut kernel developmental stages. Finally, the effect of the use of one or more reference genes on the observed relative expression levels of an important seed oil metabolism gene, diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (Dgat1), during kernel development was demonstrated. Based on findings, the suggestion is that adh3, or a combination of this gene with 60s and yls8 should be considered for use in quantitative mRNA expression analyses in Arachis, particularly in studies involving seed development; whereas ubq10 and gapdh should be avoided.

Genome ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 349-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanchun You ◽  
Miao Xie ◽  
Liette Vasseur ◽  
Minsheng You

Gene expression analysis provides important clues regarding gene functions, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is a widely used method in gene expression studies. Reference genes are essential for normalizing and accurately assessing gene expression. In the present study, 16 candidate reference genes (ACTB, CyPA, EF1-α, GAPDH, HSP90, NDPk, RPL13a, RPL18, RPL19, RPL32, RPL4, RPL8, RPS13, RPS4, α-TUB, and β-TUB) from Plutella xylostella were selected to evaluate gene expression stability across different experimental conditions using five statistical algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, Delta Ct, BestKeeper, and RefFinder). The results suggest that different reference genes or combinations of reference genes are suitable for normalization in gene expression studies of P. xylostella according to the different developmental stages, strains, tissues, and insecticide treatments. Based on the given experimental sets, the most stable reference genes were RPS4 across different developmental stages, RPL8 across different strains and tissues, and EF1-α across different insecticide treatments. A comprehensive and systematic assessment of potential reference genes for gene expression normalization is essential for post-genomic functional research in P. xylostella, a notorious pest with worldwide distribution and a high capacity to adapt and develop resistance to insecticides.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Chi Wei ◽  
Ming-Fang Zhang ◽  
Gui-Xia Jia

Normalization to reference genes is the most common method to avoid bias in real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), which has been widely used for quantification of gene expression. Despite several studies on gene expression,Lilium, and particularlyL. regale, has not been fully investigated regarding the evaluation of reference genes suitable for normalization. In this study, nine putative reference genes, namely18S rRNA,ACT,BHLH,CLA,CYP,EF1,GAPDH,SANDandTIP41, were analyzed for accurate quantitative PCR normalization at different developmental stages and under different stress conditions, including biotic (Botrytis elliptica), drought, salinity, cold and heat stress. All these genes showed a wide variation in their Cq (quantification Cycle) values, and their stabilities were calculated by geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. In a combination of the results from the three algorithms,BHLHwas superior to the other candidates when all the experimental treatments were analyzed together;CLAandEF1were also recommended by two of the three algorithms. As for specific conditions,EF1under various developmental stages,SANDunder biotic stress,CYP/GAPDHunder drought stress, andTIP41under salinity stress were generally considered suitable. All the algorithms agreed on the stability ofSANDandGAPDHunder cold stress, while onlyCYPwas selected under heat stress by all of them. Additionally, the selection of optimal reference genes under biotic stress was further verified by analyzing the expression level ofLrLOXin leaves inoculated withB. elliptica. Our study would be beneficial for future studies on gene expression and molecular breeding ofLilium.


Author(s):  
Zuobing Yan ◽  
Yongli Li ◽  
Zhou Zhou ◽  
Yongan Zhang ◽  
Liangjian Qu

Carposina sasakii is one of the most important pests on the quality of stone and pome fruits. Investigation of a gene expression level in the species is hampered because of the gap of validated reference genes. The expression variation in the transcription levels of eight candidate reference genes, Actin (ACT), Tubulinbeta-1 (TUB), Ribosomal protein 49 (RP49), Elongation factor1-alpha (EF-1a), Elongation factor1-b (EF-1b), Elongation factor1-d (EF-1d), Ribosomal proteinL13 (RPL13) and Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The stability and ranking of these gene expression profiles in three organ types (head, thorax and abdomen), three developmental stages (larva, pupa and moth), and five diapause states (non-diapause, pre-diapause, diapause 0 d, diapause 20 d and diapause 60 d) were assessed using two algorithm-based methods, geNorm and NormFinder. EF-1a, ACT and GAPDH were evaluated to be the three stable reference genes based on the important observations and comprehensive analysis, whereas TUB and EF-1b showed low expression stability. Best gene combinations for different qPCR analysis in C. sasakii could be chosen from the three stable reference genes, the using of two reference genes is sufficient to effectively normalize qPCR data in C. sasakii. The study laid the foundation for gene expression analysis in C. sasakii and provided new information for the selection of reference genes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Wang ◽  
J. Yang ◽  
Q. Pan ◽  
S. Yu ◽  
R. Luo ◽  
...  

AbstractA stable reference gene is a key prerequisite for accurate assessment of gene expression. At present, the real-time reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction has been widely used in the analysis of gene expression in a variety of organisms.Neoseiulus barkeriHughes (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a major predator of mites on many important economically crops. Until now, however, there are no reports evaluating the stability of reference genes in this species. In view of this, we used GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder software tools to evaluate the expression stability of 11 candidate reference genes in developmental stages and under various abiotic stresses. According to our results, β-ACTandHsp40were the top two stable reference genes in developmental stages. TheHsp60andHsp90were the most stable reference genes in various acaricides stress. For alterations in temperature,Hsp40and α-TUBwere the most suitable reference genes. About UV stress,EF1α and α-TUBwere the best choice, and for the different prey stress, β-ACTand α-TUBwere best suited. In normal conditions, the β-ACT and α-TUB were the two of the highest stable reference genes to respond to all kinds of stresses. The current study provided a valuable foundation for the further analysis of gene expression inN. barkeri.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Qianqian Meng ◽  
Xi Zhu ◽  
Shiwei Sun ◽  
Shengfeng Gao ◽  
...  

Abstract Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse is a predominant sucking pest in many tropic economic crops, such as tea, cocoa and coffee. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) is one of the most powerful tools to analyze the gene expression level and investigate the mechanism of insect physiology at transcriptional level. Gene expression studies utilizing qRT-PCR have been applied to numerous insects so far. However, no universal reference genes could be used for H. theivora. To obtain accurate and reliable normalized data in H. theivora, twelve candidate reference genes were examined under different tissues, developmental stages and sexes by using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, Delta Ct and RefFinder algorithms, respectively. The results revealed that the ideal reference genes differed across the treatments, and the consensus rankings generated from stability values provided by these programs suggested a combination of two genes for normalization. To be specific, RPS3A and Actin were the best suitable reference genes for tissues, RPL13A and GAPDH were suitable for developmental stages, EF1α and RPL13A were suitable for sexes, and RPL13A and RPS3A were suitable for all samples. This study represents the first systematic analysis of reference genes for qRT-PCR experiments in H. theivora, and the results can provide a credible normalization for qRT-PCR data, facilitating transcript profiling studies of functional genes in this insect.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258201
Author(s):  
Saqib Rahman ◽  
Zhenzhen Zhao ◽  
Muhammad Umair Sial ◽  
Yanning Zhang ◽  
Hongyun Jiang

Myzus persicae is a globally important pest with the ability to adjust to a wide range of environmental situations, and many molecular technologies have been developed and applied to understand the biology and/or control this pest insect directly. Reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a primary molecular technology that is used to quantify gene expression. Choosing a stable reference gene is significantly important for precisely clarifying the expression level of the target gene. Actin and 18S have been recommended as stable compounds for real-time RT-qPCR in M. persicae under the tested biotic and abiotic conditions. In this study, we checked the stability of Actin and 18S by analyzing the relative expression levels of the cytochrome 450 monooxygenase family member genes CYP6CY3 and CYP6-1, carboxylesterase gene E4 and vacuolar protein sorting gene VPS11 via RT-qPCR under various conditions. The expression levels of these four target genes were normalized using both Actin and 18S individually and the combination of these two genes. Our results confirmed that Actin and 18S can be used as reference genes to normalize the expression of target genes under insecticide treatment and starvation in M. persicae. However, at the developmental stages of M. persicae, the expression of the four tested target genes was normalized stably by Actin but not 18S, with the latter presenting a problematic change with the developmental stages. Thus, the stability of reference genes in response to diverse biotic and abiotic factors should be evaluated before each RT-qPCR experiment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuping Li ◽  
Xiaoju Liang ◽  
Xuguo Zhou ◽  
Yu An ◽  
Ming Li ◽  
...  

AbstractGlycyrrhiza, a genus of perennial medicinal herbs, has been traditionally used to treat human diseases, including respiratory disorders. Functional analysis of genes involved in the synthesis, accumulation, and degradation of bioactive compounds in these medicinal plants requires accurate measurement of their expression profiles. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a primary tool, which requires stably expressed reference genes to serve as the internal references to normalize the target gene expression. In this study, the stability of 14 candidate reference genes from the two congeneric species G. uralensis and G. inflata, including ACT, CAC, CYP, DNAJ, DREB, EF1, RAN, TIF1, TUB, UBC2, ABCC2, COPS3, CS, R3HDM2, were evaluated across different tissues and throughout various developmental stages. More importantly, we investigated the impact of interactions between tissue and developmental stage on the performance of candidate reference genes. Four algorithms, including geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and Delta Ct, were used to analyze the expression stability and RefFinder, a comprehensive software, provided the final recommendation. Based on previous research and our preliminary data, we hypothesized that internal references for spatio-temporal gene expression are different from the reference genes suited for individual factors. In G. uralensis, the top three most stable reference genes across different tissues were R3HDM2, CAC and TUB, while CAC, CYP and ABCC2 were most suited for different developmental stages. CAC is the only candidate recommended for both biotic factors, which is reflected in the stability ranking for the spatio (tissue)-temporal (developmental stage) interactions (CAC, R3HDM2 and DNAJ). Similarly, in G. inflata, COPS3, R3HDM2 and DREB were selected for tissues, while RAN, COPS3 and CS were recommended for developmental stages. For the tissue-developmental stage interactions, COPS3, DREB and ABCC2 were the most suited reference genes. In both species, only one of the top three candidates was shared between the individual factors and their interactions, specifically, CAC in G. uralensis and COPS3 in G. inflata, which supports our overarching hypothesis. In summary, spatio-temporal selection of reference genes not only lays the foundation for functional genomics research in Glycyrrhiza, but also facilitates these traditional medicinal herbs to reach/maximize their pharmaceutical potential.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Xiong ◽  
Xiangyun Cheng ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Roland Manfred Klar ◽  
Tao He

Abstract Background Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) remains one of the best-established techniques to assess gene expression patterns. However, appropriate reference gene(s) selection remains a critical and challenging subject in which inappropriate reference gene selction can distort results leading to false interpretations. To date, mixed opinions still exist in how to choose the most optimal reference gene sets in accodrance to the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guideline. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate which schemes were the most feasible for the identification of reference genes in a bone and cartilage bioengineering experimental setting. In this study, rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs), skeletal muscle tissue and adipose tissue were utilized, undergoing either chondrogenic or osteogenic induction, to investigate the optimal reference gene set identification scheme that would subsequently ensure stable and accurate interpretation of gene expression in bone and cartilage bioengineering. Results The stability and pairwise variance of eight candidate reference genes were analyzed using geNorm. The V0.15- vs. Vmin-based normalization scheme in rBMSCs had no significant effect on the eventual normalization of target genes. In terms of the muscle tissue, the results of the correlation of NF values between the V0.15 and Vmin schemes and the variance of target genes expression levels generated by these two schemes showed that different schemes do indeed have a significant effect on the eventual normalization of target genes. Three selection schemes were adopted in terms of the adipose tissue, including the three optimal reference genes (Opt3), V0.20 and Vmin schemes, and the analysis of NF values with eventual normalization of target genes showed that the different selection schemes also have a significant effect on the eventual normalization of target genes. Conclusions Based on these results, the proposed cut-off value of Vn/n + 1 under 0.15, according to the geNorm algorithm, should be considered with caution. For cell only experiments, at least rBMSCs, a Vn/n + 1 under 0.15 is sufficient in RT-qPCR studies. However, when using certain tissue types such as skeletal muscle and adipose tissue the minimum Vn/n + 1 should be used instead as this provides a far superior mode of generating accurate gene expression results. We thus recommended that when the stability and variation of a candidate reference genes in a specific study is unclear the minimum Vn/n + 1 should always be used as this ensures the best and most accurate gene expression value is achieved during RT-qPCR assays.


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