ArticleHormones and behavior2014
Evaluation of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR in the brain, pituitary, and gonads of songbirds.
Article in Hormones and behavior, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers.
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32 citing papers in PubMed, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Tissue-specific reference gene stability for qPCR in thermally conditioned quail embryos.Biological research · 2026Article
- Opposing behavioral roles for a single gene in a species with a supergene polymorphism.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Massive Genomic and Transcriptomic Changes Within a Young Inversion Polymorphism in the Absence of Degeneration.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- Telomere-Related Gene Networks in the Ovary Shift Across Environmental Factors.Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology · 2025Article
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- Selection of suitable reference genes for normalization of RT-qPCR in three tissues of Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) infected with eyeworm (Oxyspirura petrowi).Molecular biology reports · 2024Article
- PPIA, HPRT1, and YWHAZ are suitable reference genes for quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in sows.Animal bioscience · 2022Article
- Determination of reference genes as a quantitative standard for gene expression analysis in mouse mesangial cells stimulated with TGF-β.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Oxytocin variation and brain region-specific gene expression in a domesticated avian species.Genes, brain, and behavior · 2022Article
- Investigation of chicken housekeeping genes using next-generation sequencing data.Frontiers in genetics · 2022Article
- Abundance, efficiency, and stability of reference transcript expression in a seasonal rodent: The Siberian hamster.PloS one · 2022Article
- Expression of oxytocin receptors in the zebra finch brain during vocal development.Developmental neurobiology · 2022Article
- Identification of reliable reference genes for expression studies in the magnum of laying hens housed in cage and cage-free systems.Veterinary medicine and science · 2021Article
- 11ß hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases regulate circulating glucocorticoids but not central gene expression.General and comparative endocrinology · 2021Article
- Screening of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR in Chicken Adipose Tissue and Adipocytes.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Article
- Disruption of energy homeostasis by food restriction or high ambient temperature exposure affects gonadal function in male house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus).Journal of comparative physiology. B, Biochemical, systemic, and environmental physiology · 2020Article
- The stressed brain: regional and stress-related corticosterone and stress-regulated gene expression in the adult zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata).Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2020Article
- Influence of heat stress on reference genes stability in heart and liver of two chickens genotypes.PloS one · 2020Article
- Divergent expression patterns of pituitary gonadotropin subunit and GnRH receptor genes to continuous GnRH in vitro and in vivo.Scientific reports · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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Abstract
Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is becoming a popular tool for the quantification of gene expression in the brain and endocrine tissues of songbirds. Accurate analysis of qPCR data relies on the selection of appropriate reference genes for normalization, yet few papers on songbirds contain evidence of reference gene validation. Here, we evaluated the expression of ten potential reference genes (18S, ACTB, GAPDH, HMBS, HPRT, PPIA, RPL4, RPL32, TFRC, and UBC) in brain, pituitary, ovary, and testis in two species of songbirds: zebra finch and white-throated sparrow. We used two algorithms, geNorm and NormFinder, to assess the stability of these reference genes in our samples. We found that the suitability of some of the most popular reference genes for target gene normalization in mammals, such as 18S, depended highly on tissue type. Thus, they are not the best choices for brain and gonad in these songbirds. In contrast, we identified alternative genes, such as HPRT, RPL4 and PPIA, that were highly stable in brain, pituitary, and gonad in these species. Our results suggest that the validation of reference genes in mammals does not necessarily extrapolate to other taxonomic groups. For researchers wishing to identify and evaluate suitable reference genes for qPCR in songbirds, our results should serve as a starting point and should help increase the power and utility of songbird models in behavioral neuroendocrinology.
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