Abstract: Quantitative real-time PCR is popularly used to study gene transcription levels in plants. Validation of candidate reference genes is the key step to ensure relative quantification. Here, we selected 5 reference genes (eEF-1α, 18S rRNA, 25S rRNA, Actin, and UBQ5) and tested their expression stability in rice under various treatments. eEF-1α showed the most stable expression with mechanical wounding, 25S rRNA with stripped stem borer treatment, and Actin with leaf folder treatment. UBQ5 showed the most stable expression on treatment with 2 phloem-feeding herbivores, brown plant hopper and white-backed plant hopper. We validated the expression profiles of these candidate reference genes by studying that of OsHI-LOX. We offer an available reference for studying gene transcription levels with herbivore infestation in rice.

Key words: herbivore-induced, quantitative real-time PCR, reference gene, rice