Transcriptomic analysis reveals potential genes involved in tanshinone biosynthesis in Salvia miltiorrhiza

Tanshinones are important bioactive components in Salvia miltiorrhiza and mainly accumulate in the periderms of mature roots. Tanshinone biosynthesis is a complicated process, and little is known about the third stage of the pathway. To investigate potential genes that are responsible for tanshinone biosynthesis, we conducted transcriptome profiling analysis of two S. miltiorrhiza cultivars. Differential expression analysis provided 2,149 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for further analysis. GO and KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly associated with the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was further performed to identify a “cyan” module associated with tanshinone biosynthesis. In this module, 25 cytochromes P450 (CYPs), three 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (2OGDs), one short-chain alcohol dehydrogenases (SDRs) and eight transcription factors were found to be likely involved in tanshinone biosynthesis. Among these CYPs, 14 CYPs have been reported previously, and 11 CYPs were identified in this study. Expression analysis showed that four newly identified CYPs were upregulated upon application of MeJA, suggesting their possible roles in tanshinone biosynthesis. Overall, this study not only identified candidate genes involved in tanshinone biosynthesis but also provided a basis for characterization of genes involved in important active ingredients of other traditional Chinese medicinal plants.