2.8 RT-PCR
Reaction samples for RT-PCR analysis included iQTM SYBR Green Supermix, specific primer pairs for PsbA and PsbS genes (see Table 1), and cDNA template. A control reaction without a cDNA template (NTC) was also considered to investigate the possibility of contamination and dimer formation by primer pairs. 18S rRNA was also used as the internal control gene and the PCR temperature program for each primer pair was adjusted according to Table 1. cDNA amplification was monitored using SYBR Green fluorescence readings at 530 nm at the end of each expansion period (Razeghi and Leister, 2013).