Reference gene selection for gene expression studies in lily using quantitative real-time PCR.

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is an important technology used to analyze gene-expression levels. Reference genes, which are assumed to be expressed consistently across various developmental stages and in different tissues, were selected for expression level analysis. Using digital gene expression technology, we selected nine reference genes (18S, EF, CYCOL, SAND, GAPDH, ACTIN, BHLH, TIP, and Clathrin) as candidate reference genes for further study. Using three different analysis methods (GeNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper), a total of 144 lily (Lilium x formolongi "Raizan 3") samples were analyzed. The samples were collected from four different tissues under various developmental stages. In addition, leaves treated with different plant hormones were collected and analyzed. The data showed that the stability of the nine reference genes differed among samples, but TIP, EF, Clathrin, and BHLH could be identified as the most stable genes overall. In addition, the relative expression level of LfFT in different lily tissues with the competence to flower was also analyzed to verify the selected reference genes. This study constitutes an important source for selecting reference genes when analyzing the expression patterns of flowering time and floral development regulation genes in lily cultivars.

Effect of dietary Bacillus subtilis on proportion of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in swine intestine and lipid metabolism.

The ratio of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes bacterial groups in the gut can affect the ability to absorb nutrients. We investigated the effect of probiotic Bacillus subtilis supplementation of diets on growth performance, fat deposition, blood lipids, copy numbers, and percentage of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in cecal contents, as well as mRNA expression of key lipid metabolism enzymes in the liver and adipose tissue of finishing pigs. Twenty-four Duroc x Meishan crossbreed 8-week-old pigs (10.28 ± 0.59 kg) were randomly allocated to two dietary treatments: maize-soybean meal-based diets with B. subtilis (probiotic group) and without B. subtilis (control group). The probiotic diet led to a significant increase in the average daily gain and feed conversion ratio of pigs weighing 10 to 110 kg. The mean backfat depth was increased while leaf lard weights were decreased by probiotic supplementation. Ingestion of probiotics decreased the serum triglyceride and glucose concentrations, but did not change the levels of total cholesterol and free fatty acids in the serum. The mRNA expressions of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase α (ACCα) in the liver were down-regulated by the dietary probiotic supplement. Conversely, the gene expressions of FAS and ACCα in the adipose tissue increased. The probiotic diet decreased the copy numbers and percentage of Bacteroidetes, while it increased the percentage of Firmicutes in the cecal contents. We conclude that the addition of B. subtilis improves growth performance and up-regulates lipid metabolism in subcutaneous fat of finishing pigs. We conclude that B. subtilis affects lipid metabolism through regulation of the proportion of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes in the gut.