Figure 1
Quantitative Real-Time PCR analysis of candidate genes. Control non-treated plants were exposed to a solution of 1 mM CaCl2, pH 4.15 for 24 hours while Al treatment was performed in the same solution containing 5, 50 or 250 μM Al. qRT-PCR was performed on four biological replicates. RNA was extracted, reverse-transcribed and the expression of genes identified in Tables 1 and 2 was measured using qRT-PCR. The CT values were normalized using the 18S RNA (note that a lower CT means increased expression and a CT difference of 1 represents a two-fold difference in expression). A statistical difference between each sample and the expression observed in Atlas66 not exposed to Al is indicated by an asterisk in the histogram columns (*: p < .05; **: p < .01; ***: p < .001). A statistical difference between tolerant cultivars exposed to 50 μM Al and their sensitive counterpart exposed to 5 μM Al is indicated by an "a" after the asterisks (a: p < .05; aa: p < .01; aaa: p < .001).