Data from: Transcriptomic resources for an endemic Neotropical plant lineage (Gesneriaceae)

Premise of the study: Despite the extensive phenotypic variation that
characterizes the Gesneriaceae family, there is a lack of genomic
resources to investigate the molecular basis of their diversity. We
developed and compared the transcriptomes for two species of the
Neotropical lineage of the Gesneriaceae. Methods and Results: Illumina
sequencing and de novo assembly of floral and leaf samples were used to
generate multigene sequence data for Sinningia eumorpha and S. magnifica,
two species endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. A total of 300
million reads were used to assemble the transcriptomes, with an average of
92,038 transcripts and 43,506 genes per species. The transcriptomes showed
good quality metrics, with the presence of all eukaryotic core genes, and
an equal representation of clusters of orthologous groups (COG)
classifications between species. The orthologous search produced 8602
groups, with 15–20% of them annotated using BLAST tools. Discussion: This
study provides the first step toward a comprehensive multispecies
transcriptome characterization of the Gesneriaceae family. These resources
are the basis for comparative analyses in this species-rich Neotropical
plant group; they will also allow the investigation of the evolutionary
importance of multiple metabolic pathways and phenotypic diversity, as
well as developmental programs in these nonmodel species.