Reference genes expression stability in Avena sativa L. during compatible and incompatible interactions with Puccinia graminis

A reliable qPCR experiment requires the selection of reference genes with a stable level of expression in a given experimental system. This study attempts to determine the reference genes (RGs) for the A. sativa–P. graminis experimental setup. We evaluated nine candidate reference genes in A. sativa (oat line Pg4 and the cultivar Kasztan) during compatible and incompatible interactions with different pathotypes of Puccinia graminis f. sp. avenae in six time points post-inoculation. The identification of genes with high expression stability was performed by four algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper and ΔCt method). We found that the most appropriate combination of RGs for RT-qPCR data normalization were HNR (heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein 27C) + EF1A (elongation factor 1-alpha) + EIF4A (eukaryotic initiation factor 4A-3). The worst candidates for normalization in this dataset were CYP (cyclophilin) and TUA (alpha tubulin). Identified reference genes are suitable candidates for the standardization of gene expression studies in the A. sativa–P. graminis interaction system and potentially other related pathogens. To date, this is the first report of RGs selection in this pathosystem.