Transcriptome atlas of Phalaenopsis equestris

The vast diversity of Orchidaceae together with sophisticated adaptations to pollinators and other unique features make this family an attractive model for evolutionary and functional studies. The sequenced genome of Phalaenopsis equestris facilitates Orchidaceae research. Here, we present an RNA-seq-based transcriptome map of P. equestris that covers 19 organs of the plant, including leaves, roots, floral organs and the shoot apical meristem. We demonstrated the high quality of the data and showed the similarity of the P. equestris transcriptome map with the gene expression atlases of other plants. The transcriptome map can be easily accessed through our database Transcriptome Variation Analysis (TraVA) for visualizing gene expression profiles. As an example of the application, we analyzed the expression of Phalaenopsis “orphan” genes–those that do not have recognizable similarity with the genes of other plants. We found that approximately half of these genes were not expressed; the ones that were expressed were predominantly expressed in reproductive structures.