Selection of suitable inner reference genes for normalisation of microRNA expression response to abiotic stresses by RT-qPCR in leaves, flowers and young stems of peach

RT-qPCR is currently the most accurate, sensitive and widely used technique to investigate gene expression. However, the selection of a suitable internal reference gene is a crucial factor for an accurate and precise result. To date, numerous studies have detected miRNA expression in different experimental conditions to facilitate studies of their biological function, whereas only few studies on reference genes have been performed in plants and none in peach (Prunus persica L.). Therefore, the present study aimed to identify suitable reference gene(s) for the normalisation of miRNA expression in peach. In this study, two previously reported housekeeping genes and 15 ppe-miRNAs (Prunus persica miRNAs) were selected as reference candidates and their expression stability was investigated in different peach tissues as well as following drought stress, salinity stress, and waterlogging stress treatments. After analysis and validation, the pair of miR5059 and miR5072 genes was found to be the best reference genes, which might aid further studies on miRNA function in response to abiotic stresses and other development processes in peach.