Identification and validation of reference genes for gene expression studies in sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans) based on transcriptomic sequence data.

Accurate normalized data is a primary requisite for quantifying gene expression using RT-qPCR technology. Despite this importance, however, suitable reference genes in Osmanthus fragrans are not available. In this study, seven potential candidate reference genes (OfL25-1, OfL25-10, OfRP2, OfTUA, OfTUB3, OfUBQ2 and Of18S) were evaluated to determine which one would be the most reliable reference genes. The expression levels of the candidate reference genes were analysed by RT-qPCR in flower, leaf, pedicel, blossom bud tissues, as well as in floral organs at different developmental stages.GeNormand NormFinderwere used to statistically analyse transcript variation.Results indicated that OfRP2 and OfL25-10 were the optimal reference genes for use in RT-qPCR when analysing different stages of floral development; while OfTUB3 and OfL25-1 were optimal across tissues. The selected reference genes were used to examineOfMYB1 expression. The results appeared to be useful for future gene expression analyses aiming to characterize developmental stages and tissues of O. fragrans.