Abstract
MADS-box genes constitute a large family of transcription factors that play important roles in plant growth and development. However, our understanding of MADS-box genes involved in anther development and male sterility in Salvia miltiorrhiza is still limited. In this study, 63 MADS-box genes were identified from the genome of the male sterility ecotype Sichuan S. miltiorrhiza (S. miltiorrhiza_SC) unevenly distributed among eight chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into two types and 17 subfamilies. They contained 1 to 12 exons and 10 conserved motifs. Evolution analysis showed that segmental duplication was the main force for the expansion of the SmMADS gene family, and duplication gene pairs were under purifying selection. Cis-acting elements analysis demonstrated that the promoter of SmMADS genes contain numerous elements associated with plant growth and development, plant hormones, and stress response. RNA-seq showed that the expression levels of B-class and C-class SmMADS genes were highly expressed during anther development, with SmMADS11 likely playing an important role in regulating anther development and male fertility in S. miltiorrhiza_SC. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the MADS-box gene family in S. miltiorrhiza, shedding light on their potential role in anther development and male sterility.