This gene encodes one of several uracil-DNA glycosylases. One important function of uracil-DNA glycosylases is to prevent mutagenesis by eliminating uracil from DNA molecules by cleaving the N-glycosylic bond and initiating the base-excision repair (BER) pathway. Uracil bases occur from cytosine deamination or misincorporation of dUMP residues. Alternative promoter usage and splicing of this gene leads to two different isoforms: the mitochondrial UNG1 and the nuclear UNG2. The UNG2 term was used as a previous symbol for the CCNO gene (GeneID 10309), which has been confused with this gene, in the literature and some databases. [provided by RefSeq, Nov 2010].