Validation of housekeeping genes as candidate internal references for quantitative expression studies in healthy and nervous necrosis virus-infected seven-band grouper (Hyporthodus septemfasciatus)

Background In the present study, we evaluated four commonly used housekeeping genes, viz., actin-β, elongation factor-1α (EF1α), acidic ribosomal protein (ARP), and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as internal references for quantitative analysis of immune genes in nervous necrosis virus (NNV)-infected seven-band grouper, Hyporthodus septemfasciatus.