S01 - Session P2 - Identification of suitable reference genes for quantitative reverse transcription PCR in sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica)

Authors: Gangjun Zhao *, Haibin Wu, Jiannin Luo, Junxing Li, Hao Gong, Xiaoming Zheng, Xiaoxi Liu, Siying Zhao

Reverse transcription real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is widely used to quantify gene expression. Reference genes are used as internal controls to eliminate or reduce the technical variations between samples and accurately measure the target gene expression level. To date, there is no consensus on the use of systematically validated reference genes in different tissues of sponge gourd ( Luffa cylindrica ). Herein, 11 candidate reference genes were selected and their expression stabilities validated using five algorithms: BestKeeper, comparative delta-Ct method, GeNorm, NormFinder and RefFinder. Results suggested that protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) was the most stable gene, while alpha Tubulin (TUA) was the less stable. The relative expression of ethylene-related genes in different tissues was also analyzed. This study provides baseline information for using suitable reference genes to evaluate targeted gene expression. It also provides a preliminary analysis of the function of ethylene-related genes in the sex determination of sponge gourd.