Salvia miltiorrhiza is an important medicinal plant, which is mainly used for treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. GATA transcription factors are evolutionarily conser-ved proteins that play essential roles in biological process of plants. In this study, we systematically characterized the GATA transcription factors in S. miltiorrhiza. A total 28 SmGATA genes were identified and divided into four subfamilies based on phylogenetic analysis and domain. SmGATA genes being clustered into a subfamily have similar conserved motifs and exon-intron patterns, and unevenly distribute on eight chromosomes of S. miltiorrhiza. Tissue-specific expression analysis based on transcriptome datasets showed that the majority of SmGATA genes were preferentially expressed in roots. Under methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment, the quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that several SmGATA genes in roots showed distinct upregulation post-MeJA treatment, especially SmGATA08, which was highly responsive to MeJA, and might be involved in the jasmonate signal, thereby affecting root growth, development, tolerance to various stresses, or secondary metabolites biosynthesis. The study found that several SmGATAs, like SmGATA08, are highly responsive to MeJA, indicating that these SmGATAs might be vital in the biosynthesis of tanshinones and phenolic acids by regulating the response to MeJA in S. miltiorrhiza. Our results laid the foundation for understanding their biological roles and quality improvement in S. miltiorrhiza.

Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. (S. chinensis) is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant whose fruits are rich in bioactive constituents, including lignans, organic acids, and flavonoids. Nevertheless, the biochemical dynamics underlying fruit development remain insufficiently characterized, limiting the effective cultivation, harvest, and utilization of S. chinensis. Here, we applied widely targeted metabolomics, together with a dynamic assessment of fruit growth, to profile temporal changes in major metabolites and to identify the optimal harvest window. The results show that the morphological changes in fruit mainly occurred from 70 to 110 days after fruit set; fresh fruit mass peaked at 110 days after fruit set. During the harvest period, the fruits are deep red and firm, showing no signs of softening. Meanwhile, fruit cluster weight, single fruit weight, and fruit longitudinal diameter all reached their peak values. Over the course of maturation, lignan levels declined markedly, whereas terpenoids, organic acids and flavonoids increased significantly. The most pronounced shifts were observed for schizandrin, gomisin N, shikimic acid, citric acid, gamma-terpinene and cyanidin 3-sophoroside, key marker compounds of S. chinensis fruit. Network pharmacology predicts that ESR1, RXRA, GATM, NCOA2, and SONEA are core targets. These findings provide a basis for determining timely harvest and for establishing quality evaluation criteria for S. chinensis.