Three Bauhinia species transcriptome sequence data

Hong Kongs emblem is the beautiful Bauhinia flower and appears on our flag. This is the flower of the orchid tree Bauhinia blakeana, which was first discovered in Hong Kong. What many people may not know is that it is a sterile hybrid, and how and why it ended up in Hong Kong is shrouded in mystery.
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One of the best ways to help uncover the secrets of any organism is by understanding its genetic makeup. Genomics, sequencing of the genetic code of organisms, provides a complete look into the genetic complement of any species. It is also one of the key technologies that will define the 21st century. While Hong Kong has made major advances in this field, the general public has a very poor awareness and understanding of what this field even is.
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By bringing together the emblematic and mysterious Bauhinia flower and the power and knowledge of genome technology, we can build a bridge between science and community enlightening our understanding of this plants interesting biology and informing and educating the public about this exciting and rapidly advancing field.
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To build such a collaborative endeavor, we are launching the Hong Kong genome project through which we will sequence the genome of the Hong Kong emblem to better understand where it came from; train local students to assemble and analyse the data crucial skills needed for this field to advance; and engage the public through local pride.
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This will be the first Hong Kong genome project: funded by the public; sequenced in Hong Kong; assembled and analysed by local students; and directly shared with the public. We also welcome contributions and interest from the rest of the world, hoping this serves as a model to inspire and inform other national genome projects, and aid the development of crucial genomic literacy and skills across the globe, inspiring and training a new generation of scientists to use these tools to tackle the biggest threats to mankind: climate change, disease, and food security.<br>The data presented here are four transcriptome datasets: leaf and flower data from Bauhinia blakeana as well as leaf transcriptomes from the most likely parent species Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia variegata. Specimens were collected in Hong Kong, and sequenced at the laboratories of BGI Hong Kong using the Illumina HiSeq 4000 platform. RNA was extracted using protocols available at protocols.io (see: dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.gsnbwde). These data are made available here for analysis and the open-source teaching of transcriptomics analysis. <br>For more on the project see: http://bauhiniagenome.hk/

香港的区徽是美丽的紫荆花，它也出现在我们的区旗上。这是洋紫荆（Bauhinia blakeana）的花朵，该树种首次在香港被发现。许多人可能不知道的是，它是一种不育杂交种，其如何及为何落户香港的过程仍笼罩在神秘之中。

揭示任何生物秘密的最佳方法之一是了解其基因组成。基因组学（Genomics）是对生物遗传密码的测序，它能全面洞察任何物种的遗传信息。它也是将定义21世纪的关键技术之一。尽管香港在该领域已取得重大进展，但公众对这一领域的认知和理解仍十分匮乏。

通过将具有象征意义且神秘的紫荆花与基因组技术的力量和知识相结合，我们可以在科学与社会之间架起一座桥梁——深化我们对这种植物有趣生物学特性的理解，并向公众普及这一令人振奋且快速发展的领域。

为推动这一协作项目，我们正启动香港基因组项目（Hong Kong genome project）——通过该项目，我们将对香港区徽所代表的物种（紫荆花）进行基因组测序，以更好地了解其起源；培训本地学生进行数据组装与分析（这是该领域发展所需的关键技能）；并借助本土自豪感吸引公众参与。

这将是首个香港基因组项目：由公众资助、在香港完成测序、由本地学生进行组装与分析，并直接向公众开放。我们也欢迎全球各地的贡献与关注，希望该项目能成为典范，启发并为其他国家基因组项目提供参考，助力全球范围内基因组素养与关键技能的培养，激励并训练新一代科学家运用这些工具应对人类面临的重大威胁：气候变化、疾病与粮食安全。本文呈现的是四个转录组数据集：其中2个来自洋紫荆（Bauhinia blakeana），1个来自紫羊蹄甲（Bauhinia purpurea），1个来自羊蹄甲（Bauhinia variegata）。这些数据开放用于转录组学分析的开源教学。