Table 1. Primers used in qRT-PCR studies of pH and salinity changes- induced pyrene degradation and the reference genes of Mycobacterium gilvum PYR-GCK.

Primer sequences
Gene designation	Forward (5′–3′)	Reverse (5′–3′)
rrs	GGCGTGCTTAACACATGCAA	GCATGCGGTCCTATTCGGTA
rpoB	GTCATCGTCTGGTCACCCTG	AGGTCAACAAGAAGCTCGG
rpoD	GTCGCTCCGGGACCACATCC	TCAGGAGGTGTGCTTGGCCG
dnaG	TCACCACCGGCGTCCAGTCT	CCCTGCTCGACGGGGGACAT
phdF	GCACCACCTTCTGACCGTAA	TTGGGTTTGAGGTGGGAACC
phdI	TGACGAAGTGATGGGTGCTC	AGTGCCGTGTATTTCGTCGT
pcaG	GGTGTCCTGCAGTTGGATGT	TACATTCCCGGCAAGCAGTT
pcaH	GTTGAGACTGGCGAACGGTA	AATGTTCAGCAAACGCGAGG

Genes description and locus tag are as follows: Candidate endogenous control genes: rrs (16S RNA ribosomal subunit: Mflv_ R0023), rpoB (DNA-directed RNA polymerase subunit: Mflv_5097), rpoD (RNA polymerase subunit, sigma-70 family: Mflv_4912), dnaG (Primase: Mflv_2722); Aromatic ring-cleaving dioxygenase genes of interest: phdF (Extradiol dioxygenase: Mflv_ 0538), phdI (1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate dioxygenase/gentisate-1,2-dioxygenase: Mflv_ 0589), pcaG (protocatechuate-3,4-dioxygenase, alpha subunit: Mflv_0529), pcaH (protocatechuate-3,4-dioxygenase, beta subunit: Mflv_ 0530). All primers were generated using Primer Express software (version 2.0).