UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) are widely involved in plant growth and stress responses. However, UGT family are not well understood in cassava. Here, we identified 121 MeUGT genes and classified them into 14 subfamilies by phylogenetic analysis. All MeUGT proteins have typical feature of the UGTs family. Tandem duplications are the crucial driving force for the expansion of MeUGT family. Cis-Acting elements analysis uncovered those 14 kinds of cis-elements associated with biotic and abiotic stress responses. Transcriptomic and qRT-PCR analyses indicated that MeUGT genes participate in postharvest physiological deterioration of storage root and the responses of biotic and abiotic stresses. Of which, MeUGT-14/41 were significantly induced after Xam treatment. Silencing of MeUGT-14 or MeUGT-41 reduced cassava resistance to Xam, verifying the accuracy of transcriptomic data for function prediction. Together, this study characterized the MeUGTs family and revealed their potential functions, which build a solid foundation for MeUGTs associated genetic improvement of cassava.

UDP-糖基转移酶（UGT）广泛参与植物生长和胁迫反应。然而，UGT 家族在木薯中并没有得到很好的理解。在这里，我们确定了 121个 MeUGT基因，并通过系统发育分析将它们分为 14 个亚科。所有 MeUGT 蛋白都具有 UGTs 家族的典型特征。串联重复是MeUGT家族扩展的关键驱动力。顺式作用元素分析揭示了与生物和非生物胁迫反应相关的 14 种顺式元素。转录组学和qRT-PCR分析表明，MeUGT基因参与了贮藏根的采后生理退化以及生物和非生物胁迫的响应。其中，MeUGT-14/ 41 Xam治疗后显着诱导。MeUGT-14或MeUGT-41的沉默降低了木薯对Xam的抗性，验证了转录组数据对功能预测的准确性。总之，这项研究表征了MeUGTs家族并揭示了它们的潜在功能，这为MeUGTs相关的木薯遗传改良奠定了坚实的基础。