Question 1

UNG or UDG?

Accepted Answer

The terms are often used interchangeably. UDG (uracil-DNA glycosylase) is the general name for the class of enzymes that remove uracil from DNA; UNG (uracil-N-glycosylase) is a specific member of that class. Cod UNG is a uracil-DNA glycosylase — it excises uracil to begin the repair process, and is not a nuclease.

Question 2

What is the biggest contamination risk in PCR?

Accepted Answer

Often, it is not the sample or the person at the bench. It is amplified DNA from previous PCRs. Even a small amount of carryover amplicon can become a template in the next reaction and produce a false-positive signal.

Question 3

Aren't gloves and good laboratory practice enough?

Accepted Answer

They are essential, but they control different risks. Gloves and clean handling help prevent contamination from people, samples and the environment. They do not selectively remove PCR products carried over from earlier reactions. A dUTP–UDG system is designed specifically to target that previous amplification product.

Question 4

Why does the UDG need to be heat-labile?

Accepted Answer

UDG must act before PCR, then stop before amplification. If it remains active, it can degrade newly generated PCR product, which may compromise low-copy sensitivity. Heat-labile Cod UNG can be switched off by heat, supporting sensitive assays, RT-PCR and simpler automated workflows.

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Assay context

Uracil incorporation

Pretreatment & inactivation

Performance considerations

Implementation stage

The five checks

Assay context

Uracil incorporation

Pretreatment & inactivation

Performance considerations

Implementation stage