The Genome of Salvia miltiorrhiza

Abstract

Salvia miltiorrhiza is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants that belong to the Salvia genus of the Lamiaceae family. It is highly valued for its dried root or rhizome in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is better known for its use in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and its anti-oxidative function. This species is a source of bioactive natural products, particularly diterpenoid tanshinones and phenolic acids. The S. miltiorrhiza genome and transcriptome data provide important basis for the molecular mechanism of active compound biosynthesis and regulation. So far, the 538 Mb draft genome with 54.44% repeat elements has been decoded, with 30,478 predicted genes. Four potential TPS/CYP gene clusters that are probably involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenoids have been identified. In addition, a combination of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) and the single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing has been used to analyze various root tissues, particularly the periderm. The results provide a relatively complete view of the S. miltiorrhiza transcriptome and further insight into tanshinone biosynthesis.