The human uracil-DNA glycosylase (UNG) gene encodes both mitochondrial (UNG1) and nuclear (UNG2) forms through differentially regulated promotes and alternative splicing. UNG2 is the major enzyme in the base excision repair pathway that removes uracil residues from DNA that arise through either misincorporation during replication or cytosine deamination. UNG2 can also be bound by the HIV-1 integrase and incorporated into the virion particle, suggesting that it is required to remove uracils from the viral genome. As the intrinsic antiviral protein APOBEC3G generates numerous uracils in the HIV genome during its replication, it may be that the UNG2 contributes to the APOBEC3G-mediated loss of infectivity by generating abasic sites in the viral genome. This UNG2 antibody will not cross-react with UNG1.
