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).