Accuracy in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) requires the use of stable endogenous controls. Normalization with multiple reference genes is the gold standard, but their identification is a laborious task, especially in species with limited sequence information. Coffee (Coffea ssp.) is an important agricultural commodity and, due to its economic relevance, is the subject of increasing research in genetics and biotechnology, in which gene expression analysis is one of the most important fields. Notwithstanding, relatively few works have focused on the analysis of gene expression in coffee. Moreover, most of these works have used less accurate techniques such as northern blot assays instead of more accurate techniques (e.g., qPCR) that have already been extensively used in other plant species. Aiming to boost the use of qPCR in studies of gene expression in coffee, we uncovered reference genes to be used in a number of different experimental conditions. Using two distinct algorithms implemented by geNorm and Norm Finder, we evaluated a total of eight candidate reference genes (psaB, PP2A, AP47, S24, GAPDH, rpl39, UBQ10, and UBI9) in four different experimental sets (control versus drought-stressed leaves, control versus droughtstressed roots, leaves of three different coffee cultivars, and four different coffee organs). The most suitable combination of reference genes was indicated in each experimental set for use as internal control for reliable qPCR data normalization. This study also provides useful guidelines for reference gene selection for researchers working with coffee plant samples under conditions other than those tested here.

Summary• Polyploidy occurs throughout the evolutionary history of many plants and considerably impacts species diversity, giving rise to novel phenotypes and leading to ecological diversification and colonization of new niches. Recent studies have documented dynamic changes in plant polyploid gene expression, which reflect the genomic and functional plasticity of duplicate genes and genomes.• The aim of the present study was to describe genomic expression dominance between a relatively recently formed natural allopolyploid (Coffea arabica) and its ancestral parents (Coffea canephora and Coffea eugenioides) and to determine if the divergence was environment-dependent. Employing a microarray platform designed against 15 522 unigenes, we assayed unigene expression levels in the allopolyploid and its two parental diploids. For each unigene, we measured expression variations among the three species grown under two temperature conditions (26-22°C (day-night temperatures) and 30-26°C (day-night temperatures)).• More than 35% of unigenes were differentially expressed in each comparison at both temperatures, except for C. arabica vs C. canephora in the 30-26°C range, where an unexpectedly low unigene expression divergence (< 9%) was observed.• Our data revealed evidence of transcription profile divergence between the allopolyploid and its parental species, greatly affected by environmental conditions, and provide clues to the plasticity phenomenon in allopolyploids.

The Arabidopsis thaliana THI1 protein is involved in thiamine biosynthesis and is targeted to both chloroplasts and mitochondria by N-terminal control regions. To investigate thi1 expression, a series of thi1 promoter deletions were fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene. Transgenic plants were generated and expression patterns obtained under different environmental conditions. The results show that expression derived from the thi1 promoter is detected early on during development and continues throughout the plant's life cycle. High levels of GUS expression are observed in both shoots and roots during vegetative growth although, in roots, expression is restricted to the vascular system. Deletion analysis of the thi1 promoter region identified a region that is responsive to light. The smallest fragment (designated Pthi322) encompasses 306 bp and possesses all the essential signals for tissue specificity, as well as responsiveness to stress conditions such as sugar deprivation, high salinity, and hypoxia.