Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2013, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (5): 507-518.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1259.2013.00507

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Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Quantitative RT-PCR Analysis of Gene Expression in Populus trichocarpa

Xiaojuan Su1,2, Baoguo Fan1, Lichai Yuan2, Xiuna Cui2, Shanfa Lu2*   

  1. 1College of Life Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041000, China;

    2Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, China
  • Received:2013-01-10 Revised:2013-03-15 Online:2013-09-01 Published:2013-09-26
  • Contact: Shanfa Lu

Abstract: Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) has been widely used in gene expression analysis because of its sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. Application of suitable reference genes to normalize qRT-PCR data is critical in analyzing PCR results. We analyzed the expression patterns of 7 housekeeping genes, including TUA8, TUB6, ubiquitin, GAPDH, actin, 18S rRNA and EF1α, in various tissues of greenhouse-grown Populus trichocarpa and Zn-treated in vitro plantlets. The stability of housekeeping gene expression was analyzed with use of 3 software packages, including geNorm, Norm- Finder, and BestKeeper. The genes actin, ubiquitin, EF1α and 18S rRNA were suitable reference genes for efficient normalization of qRT-PCR data, whereas TUB6 and GAPDH were not suitable for analysis of greenhouse-grown plants and Zn-treated plantlets, respectively. These findings were confirmed by comparative profiling of 4 P. trichocarpa NAC genes. This study provides useful information for reference gene selection in qRT-PCR analysis of gene expression in P. trichocarpa. It is also helpful to elucidate the function of P. trichocarpa NAC genes.