Validation of reference genes for normalization of qPCR gene expression data from Coffea spp. hypocotyls inoculated with Colletotrichum kahawae

Selection of stable reference genes for qPCR expression of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, the bean anthracnose pathogen

Phaseolus vulgaris L., commonly known as the common bean, is a highly nutritious crop often called the "poor man's meat". However, it is susceptible to various diseases throughout the cropping season, with anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum lindemuthianum being a significant threat that leads to substantial losses. There is still a lack of understanding about the molecular basis of C. lindemuthianum pathogenicity. The first step in understanding this is to identify pathogenicity genes that express more during infection of common beans. A reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) method can be used for virulence gene expression. However, this approach requires selecting appropriate reference genes to normalize relative gene expression data. Currently, there is no reference gene available for C. lindemuthianum. In this study, we selected eight candidate reference genes from the available genome of C. lindemuthianum to bridge the gap. These genes were ACT (Actin), β-tub (β-tubulin), EF (Elongation Factor), Cyt C (Cytochrome C), His H3 (Histone H3), CHS1 (Chitin synthetase), GAPDH (Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) and abfA (Alpha-l-Arabinofuranosidase A). The primers for these candidate reference genes were able to amplify cDNA only from the pathogen, demonstrating their specificity. The qPCR efficiency of the primers ranged from 80% to 103%. We analyzed the stability of gene expression in C. lindemuthianum by exposing the mycelium to nine different stress conditions. We employed algorithms, such as GeNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder tools, to identify the most stable gene. The analysis using these tools revealed that EF, GAPDH, and β-tub most stable genes, while ACT and CHS1 showed relatively low expression stability. A large number of potential effector genes have been identified through bioinformatics analysis in C. lindemuthianum. The stable genes for qPCR (EF and GAPDH) discovered in this study will aid the scientific community in determining the relative expression of C. lindemuthianum effector genes.

Assessment of Candidate Reference Genes for Gene Expression Studies Using RT-qPCR in Colletotrichum fructicola from Litchi

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a tropical fruit originating from southern China that is currently cultivated in subtropical and tropical regions worldwide. Litchi anthracnose, caused by Colletotrichum fructicola, a dominant species of Colletotrichum spp., is an important disease of litchi that damages the fruits in fields and in post-harvest storage. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is a common technique with which to detect the expression of and function of target genes quickly and precisely, and stable reference genes are crucial. However, there is no comprehensive information on suitable reference genes of C. fructicola present. Here, we designed eight candidate genes (GAPDH, α-tubulin, 18S, β-tubulin, EF1a, TATA, RPS5, and EF3) using RefFinder software (programs: geNorm, ΔCt, BestKeeper, and NormFinder) to investigate their reliability in the detection of C. fructicola under five different treatments (fungal development stage, temperature, UV, culture medium, and fungicide). The results showed the optimal reference genes under different conditions: EF1a and α-tubulin for developmental stage; α-tubulin and β-tubulin for temperature; α-tubulin and RPS5 for UV treatment; RPS5 and α-tubulin for culture medium; α-tubulin, GAPDH, and TATA for fungicide treatments. The corresponding expression patterns of HSP70 (Heat shock protein 70) were significantly different when the most and the least stable reference genes were selected when treated under different conditions. Our study provides the first detailed list of optimal reference genes for the analysis of gene expression in C. fructicola via RT-qPCR, which should be useful for future functional studies of target genes in C. fructicola.

Constitutive Defense Strategy of Coffee Under Field Conditions: A Comparative Assessment of Resistant and Susceptible Cultivars to Rust

Coffea arabica is the most economically important coffee species worldwide. However, its production is severely limited by diseases such as rust. The mechanisms underlying constitutive defense responses in coffee are still poorly understood, compared with induced defense mechanisms. We aimed to characterize constitutive defense responses of thirteen cultivars of C. arabica. Cultivars were classified under field conditions according to the level of resistance to rust: resistant (R), moderately resistant (MR), and susceptible (S). Based on this classification, the stability of eight reference genes (RGs) was evaluated. The most stable RGs were EF1α, APT1, and 24S. We also evaluated the expression of CaWRKY1, CaPAL1, CaCAD1, and CaPOX1, and activities of PAL, CAD, and POX, which are involved in lignin biosynthesis, and leaf content of total phenolic compounds and lignin. Gene expression and enzymatic activity were not correlated with defense metabolites in the R cultivar group but showed a negative correlation with phenolic compounds in MR cultivars. Cultivar S showed positive correlations of gene expression and enzyme activity with phenolic compounds. These results may assist coffee breeding programs regarding selection of genotypes and in optimization of rust resistance.

Selection and validation of reference genes for target gene analysis with quantitative real-time PCR in the leaves and roots of Carex rigescens under abiotic stress

Carex rigescens is an ornamental turfgrass in northern China which has a relatively low maintenance cost and robust tolerance to many adverse environmental conditions, so it could be considered a new material for researching into plant stress resistance. However, suitable reference genes are vacant for obtaining reliable results in quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis of C. rigescens in adversity research. In this study, we tested the expression stability of nine potential reference genes in leaves and roots under five different abiotic stress conditions, including cold, salt, heat, osmotic and cadmium (Cd). We then selected the best reference genes according to the analysis results calculated by three algorithmic programs (geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper) and used the RankAggreg package to merge the outputted data. The results showed that combinations of at least two reference genes should be used for reliable normalization except in heat-treated root samples, which require three reference genes. eIF-4α, GADPH, SAND and PEPKR1 and their combination were found to be the most stably expressed reference genes, while SAM, TUA-α and UPL7 were the three least stable reference genes among most of experimental samples. In addition, five stress-induced genes (Cu-Zn SOD, P5CS, LEA, GST, and APX) were chosen to verify the stability of the selected reference genes in various tissues and under various stress conditions. The results of this study will provide an important fundamental basis both for gene expression verification for transcriptomic and proteomic analyses and for gene expression analysis for future gene function research in C. rigescens.

Primer design and amplification efficiencies are crucial for reliability of quantitative PCR studies of caffeine biosynthetic N-methyltransferases in coffee

Primers having suboptimal amplification efficiencies were shown to falsely represent fold change expression of the N-methyltransferases gene family involved in caffeine biosynthesis in Coffea canephora. To study this phenomenon, the role of stability of the internal reference gene, as well as the amplification efficiency correction of the primers was investigated. GAPDH and Ubiquitin exhibited a good stability for studying the ontogeny of endosperm tissue, as well as the leaf transcriptome during stress from salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, PEG-mediated drought and sudden exposure to light. Ubiquitin manifested low variation in Cq under all these stress regimes and in endosperm ontogeny with 30.1-30.9 in the best dataset and 28.8-30.9 in the most deviating dataset. It was observed that problems arising due to improper amplification efficiency of the target or reference genes or both could lead to misinterpretation of gene expression levels. Quantitative RT-PCR performed at a sub-optimal efficiency of GAPDH reference gene at 1.68 led to the faulty interpretation of 2.007 folds upregulation by the 2^-ΔΔCt method and 1.705 folds upregulation by Efficiency method for the first NMT (Xanthosine methyltransferase), which actually is repressed during dark acclimatization of coffee plants. Efficiency correction improved the reliability of the expression data and also indicated a downregulation of this gene by 0.485 folds and 0.474 folds using 2^-ΔΔCt and E method, respectively, in concordance to earlier reports. Hence, efficiency correction of the primers having suboptimal efficiencies is an absolute prerequisite for the accurate calculation of fold change using quantitative RT-PCR.

Selection and validation of reference genes for quantitative gene expression analyses in various tissues and seeds at different developmental stages in Bixa orellana L

Bixa orellana L., popularly known as annatto, produces several secondary metabolites of pharmaceutical and industrial interest, including bixin, whose molecular basis of biosynthesis remain to be determined. Gene expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is an important tool to advance such knowledge. However, correct interpretation of qPCR data requires the use of suitable reference genes in order to reduce experimental variations. In the present study, we have selected four different candidates for reference genes in B. orellana, coding for 40S ribosomal protein S9 (RPS9), histone H4 (H4), 60S ribosomal protein L38 (RPL38) and 18S ribosomal RNA (18SrRNA). Their expression stabilities in different tissues (e.g. flower buds, flowers, leaves and seeds at different developmental stages) were analyzed using five statistical tools (NormFinder, geNorm, BestKeeper, ΔCt method and RefFinder). The results indicated that RPL38 is the most stable gene in different tissues and stages of seed development and 18SrRNA is the most unstable among the analyzed genes. In order to validate the candidate reference genes, we have analyzed the relative expression of a target gene coding for carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 1 (CCD1) using the stable RPL38 and the least stable gene, 18SrRNA, for normalization of the qPCR data. The results demonstrated significant differences in the interpretation of the CCD1 gene expression data, depending on the reference gene used, reinforcing the importance of the correct selection of reference genes for normalization.

Identification and comprehensive evaluation of reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis of host gene-expression in Brassica juncea-aphid interaction using microarray data

Brassica juncea is a chief oil yielding crop in many parts of the world including India. With advancement of molecular techniques, RT-qPCR based study of gene-expression has become an integral part of experimentations in crop breeding. In RT-qPCR, use of appropriate reference gene(s) is pivotal. The virtue of the reference genes, being constant in expression throughout the experimental treatments, needs to be validated case by case. Appropriate reference gene(s) for normalization of gene-expression data in B. juncea during the biotic stress of aphid infestation is not known. In the present investigation, 11 reference genes identified from microarray database of Arabidopsis-aphid interaction at a cut off FDR ≤0.1, along with two known reference genes of B. juncea, were analyzed for their expression stability upon aphid infestation. These included 6 frequently used and 5 newly identified reference genes. Ranking orders of the reference genes in terms of expression stability were calculated using advanced statistical approaches such as geNorm, NormFinder, delta Ct and BestKeeper. The analysis suggested CAC, TUA and DUF179 as the most suitable reference genes. Further, normalization of the gene-expression data of STP4 and PR1 by the most and the least stable reference gene, respectively has demonstrated importance and applicability of the recommended reference genes in aphid infested samples of B. juncea.

A first insight into the involvement of phytohormones pathways in coffee resistance and susceptibility to Colletotrichum kahawae

Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying coffee-pathogen interactions are of key importance to aid disease resistance breeding efforts. In this work the expression of genes involved in salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA) and ethylene (ET) pathways were studied in hypocotyls of two coffee varieties challenged with the hemibiotrophic fungus Colletotrichum kahawae, the causal agent of Coffee Berry Disease. Based on a cytological analysis, key time-points of the infection process were selected and qPCR was used to evaluate the expression of phytohormones biosynthesis, reception and responsive-related genes. The resistance to C. kahawae was characterized by restricted fungal growth associated with early accumulation of phenolic compounds in the cell walls and cytoplasmic contents, and deployment of hypersensitive reaction. Similar responses were detected in the susceptible variety, but in a significantly lower percentage of infection sites and with no apparent effect on disease development. Gene expression analysis suggests a more relevant involvement of JA and ET phytohormones than SA in this pathosystem. An earlier and stronger activation of the JA pathway observed in the resistant variety, when compared with the susceptible one, seems to be responsible for the successful activation of defense responses and inhibition of fungal growth. For the ET pathway, the down or non-regulation of ET receptors in the resistant variety, together with a moderate expression of the responsive-related gene ERF1, indicates that this phytohormone may be related with other functions besides the resistance response. However, in the susceptible variety, the stronger activation of ERF1 gene at the beginning of the necrotrophic phase, suggests the involvement of ET in tissue senescence. As far as we know, this is the first attempt to unveil the role of phytohormones in coffee-C. kahawae interactions, thus contributing to deepen our understanding on the complex mechanisms of plant signaling and defense.

Identification of reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR analysis of microRNAs and mRNAs in castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) under drought stress

Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is one of the most powerful and sensitive techniques to the study of gene expression. Several factors influence RT-qPCR performance though, including the stability of the reference genes used for data normalization. While the selection of appropriate reference genes is crucial for accurate and reliable gene expression analysis, no suitable reference genes have been previously identified in castor bean under drought stress. In this study, the expression stability of eleven mRNAs, thirteen microRNAs (miRNAs) and one small nuclear RNA were analyzed in roots and leaves across different levels of water deficit. Three different algorithms were employed to analyze the RT-qPCR data, and the resulting outputs were merged using a non-weighted unsupervised rank aggregation method. Our analysis indicated that the Elongation factor 1-beta (EF1B), Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and ADP-ribosylation factor (ADP) ranked as the best candidates across diverse samples submitted to different levels of drought conditions. EF1B and Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and EF1B and SKP1/ASK-interacting protein 16 (SKIP16) were found as the most suitable reference genes for expression analysis in roots and leaves, respectively. In addition, miRNAs miR168, miR160 and miR397 were selected as optimal reference genes across all tissues and treatments. miR168 and miR156 were recommended as reference for roots, while miR168 and miR160 were recommended for leaves. Together, our results constitute the first attempt to identify and validate the most suitable reference genes for accurate normalization of gene expression in castor bean under drought stress.

Comparative Validation of Conventional and RNA-Seq Data-Derived Reference Genes for qPCR Expression Studies of Colletotrichum kahawae

Colletotrichum kahawae is an emergent fungal pathogen causing severe epidemics of Coffee Berry Disease on Arabica coffee crops in Africa. Currently, the molecular mechanisms underlying the Coffea arabica—C. kahawae interaction are still poorly understood, as well as the differences in pathogen aggressiveness, which makes the development of functional studies for this pathosystem a crucial step. Quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) has been one of the most promising approaches to perform gene expression analyses. However, proper data normalization with suitable reference genes is an absolute requirement. In this study, a set of 8 candidate reference genes were selected based on two different approaches (literature and Illumina RNA-seq datasets) to assess the best normalization factor for qPCR expression analysis of C. kahawae samples. The gene expression stability of candidate reference genes was evaluated for four isolates of C. kahawae bearing different aggressiveness patterns (Ang29, Ang67, Zim12 and Que2), at different stages of fungal development and key time points of the plant-fungus interaction process. Gene expression stability was assessed using the pairwise method incorporated in geNorm and the model-based method used by NormFinder software. For C. arabica—C. kahawae interaction samples, the best normalization factor included the combination of PP1, Act and ck34620 genes, while for C. kahawae samples the combination of PP1, Act and ck20430 revealed to be the most appropriate choice. These results suggest that RNA-seq analyses can provide alternative sources of reference genes in addition to classical reference genes. The analysis of expression profiles of bifunctional catalase-peroxidase (cat2) and trihydroxynaphthalene reductase (thr1) genes further enabled the validation of the selected reference genes. This study provides, for the first time, the tools required to conduct accurate qPCR studies in C. kahawae considering its aggressiveness pattern, developmental stage and host interaction.

Reference gene selection for normalization of RT-qPCR gene expression data from Actinidia deliciosa leaves infected with Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae

Normalization of data, by choosing the appropriate reference genes (RGs), is fundamental for obtaining reliable results in reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). In this study, we assessed Actinidia deliciosa leaves inoculated with two doses of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae during a period of 13 days for the expression profile of nine candidate RGs. Their expression stability was calculated using four algorithms: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and the deltaCt method. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) were the most stable genes, while β-tubulin and 7s-globulin were the less stable. Expression analysis of three target genes, chosen for RGs validation, encoding the reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) indicated that a combination of stable RGs, such as GAPDH and PP2A, can lead to an accurate quantification of the expression levels of such target genes. The APX level varied during the experiment time course and according to the inoculum doses, whereas both SOD and CAT resulted down-regulated during the first four days, and up-regulated afterwards, irrespective of inoculum dose. These results can be useful for better elucidating the molecular interaction in the A. deliciosa/P. s. pv. actinidiae pathosystem and for RGs selection in bacteria-plant pathosystems.

Validation of Tuba1a as appropriate internal control for normalization of gene expression analysis during mouse lung development

The expression ratio between the analysed gene and an internal control gene is the most widely used normalization method for quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) expression analysis. The ideal reference gene for a specific experiment is the one whose expression is not affected by the different experimental conditions tested. In this study, we validate the applicability of five commonly used reference genes during different stages of mouse lung development. The stability of expression of five different reference genes (Tuba1a, Actb Gapdh, Rn18S and Hist4h4) was calculated within five experimental groups using the statistical algorithm of geNorm software. Overall, Tuba1a showed the least variability in expression among the different stages of lung development, while Hist4h4 and Rn18S showed the maximum variability in their expression. Expression analysis of two lung specific markers, surfactant protein C (SftpC) and Clara cell-specific 10 kDA protein (Scgb1a1), normalized to each of the five reference genes tested here, confirmed our results and showed that incorrect reference gene choice can lead to artefacts. Moreover, a combination of two internal controls for normalization of expression analysis during lung development will increase the accuracy and reliability of results.

Characterization of reference genes for RT-qPCR in the desert moss Syntrichia caninervis in response to abiotic stress and desiccation/rehydration

Syntrichia caninervis is the dominant bryophyte of the biological soil crusts found in the Gurbantunggut desert. The extreme desert environment is characterized by prolonged drought, temperature extremes, high radiation and frequent cycles of hydration and dehydration. S. caninervis is an ideal organism for the identification and characterization of genes related to abiotic stress tolerance. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) expression analysis is a powerful analytical technique that requires the use of stable reference genes. Using available S. caninervis transcriptome data, we selected 15 candidate reference genes and analyzed their relative expression stabilities in S. caninervis gametophores exposed to a range of abiotic stresses or a hydration-desiccation-rehydration cycle. The programs geNorm, NormFinder, and RefFinder were used to assess and rank the expression stability of the 15 candidate genes. The stability ranking results of reference genes under each specific experimental condition showed high consistency using different algorithms. For abiotic stress treatments, the combination of two genes (α-TUB2 and CDPK) were sufficient for accurate normalization. For the hydration-desiccation-rehydration process, the combination of two genes (α-TUB1 and CDPK) were sufficient for accurate normalization. 18S was among the least stable genes in all of the experimental sets and was unsuitable as reference gene in S. caninervis. This is the first systematic investigation and comparison of reference gene selection for RT-qPCR work in S. caninervis. This research will facilitate gene expression studies in S. caninervis, related moss species from the Syntrichia complex and other mosses.

Reference genes selection and normalization of oxidative stress responsive genes upon different temperature stress conditions in Hypericum perforatum L

Reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a widely used technique for gene expression analysis. The reliability of this method depends largely on the suitable selection of stable reference genes for accurate data normalization. Hypericum perforatum L. (St. John's wort) is a field growing plant that is frequently exposed to a variety of adverse environmental stresses that can negatively affect its productivity. This widely known medicinal plant with broad pharmacological properties (anti-depressant, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-cancer, and antibacterial) has been overlooked with respect to the identification of reference genes suitable for RT-qPCR data normalization. In this study, 11 candidate reference genes were analyzed in H. perforatum plants subjected to cold and heat stresses. The expression stability of these genes was assessed using GeNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper algorithms. The results revealed that the ranking of stability among the three algorithms showed only minor differences within each treatment. The best-ranked reference genes differed between cold- and heat-treated samples; nevertheless, TUB was the most stable gene in both experimental conditions. GSA and GAPDH were found to be reliable reference genes in cold-treated samples, while GAPDH showed low expression stability in heat-treated samples. 26SrRNA and H2A had the highest stabilities in the heat assay, whereas H2A was less stable in the cold assay. Finally, AOX1, AOX2, CAT1 and CHS genes, associated with plant stress responses and oxidative stress, were used as target genes to validate the reliability of identified reference genes. These target genes showed differential expression profiles over time in treated samples. This study not only is the first systematic analysis for the selection of suitable reference genes for RT-qPCR studies in H. perforatum subjected to temperature stress conditions, but may also provide valuable information about the roles of genes associated with temperature stress responses.

Reference gene validation for quantitative RT-PCR during biotic and abiotic stresses in Vitis vinifera

Grapevine is one of the most cultivated fruit crop worldwide with Vitis vinifera being the species with the highest economical importance. Being highly susceptible to fungal pathogens and increasingly affected by environmental factors, it has become an important agricultural research area, where gene expression analysis plays a fundamental role. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is currently amongst the most powerful techniques to perform gene expression studies. Nevertheless, accurate gene expression quantification strongly relies on appropriate reference gene selection for sample normalization. Concerning V. vinifera, limited information still exists as for which genes are the most suitable to be used as reference under particular experimental conditions. In this work, seven candidate genes were investigated for their stability in grapevine samples referring to four distinct stresses (Erysiphe necator, wounding and UV-C irradiation in leaves and Phaeomoniella chlamydospora colonization in wood). The expression stability was evaluated using geNorm, NormFinder and BestKeeper. In all cases, full agreement was not observed for the three methods. To provide comprehensive rankings integrating the three different programs, for each treatment, a consensus ranking was created using a non-weighted unsupervised rank aggregation method. According to the last, the three most suitable reference genes to be used in grapevine leaves, regardless of the stress, are UBC, VAG and PEP. For the P. chlamydospora treatment, EF1, CYP and UBC were the best scoring genes. Acquaintance of the most suitable reference genes to be used in grapevine samples can contribute for accurate gene expression quantification in forthcoming studies.