Reference gene selection for quantitative real-time PCR in Chrysanthemum subjected to biotic and abiotic stress

Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a reliable method for assessing gene expression, provided that suitable reference genes are included to normalize the data. The stability of expression of eight potential reference genes, namely, tubulin (alpha-2,4 tubulin), actin, EF1 α (elongation factor 1 α), UBC (ubiquitin C), GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), psaA (photosynthesis-related plastid gene representing photosystem I), PP2Acs (catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A), and PGK (phosphoglycerate kinase), was assessed in chrysanthemum plants subjected to aphid infestation, heat stress or waterlogging stress using geNorm software. The widely used reference gene EF1 α performed well for aphid infested plants but poorly for waterlogged ones. The catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2Acs) was the best performing one during heat and waterlogging stress, but was the worst during aphid infestation. The commonly used reference gene actin was generally the least stable of the set. No single gene was suitable for normalization on its own. The choice of reference gene(s) is an important factor in gene expression studies based on RT-qPCR.