Name: Cod UNG
Brand: ArcticZymes Technologies

OverView

Cod UNG is a heat-labile uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG/UNG) built for reliable carry-over contamination control in RT-qPCR, RT-LAMP, PCR, and other closed-tube workflows. It clears carry-over contamination during setup, loses activity before new product accumulates, and does not reactivate afterwards — so both the reaction and the finished product stay intact. Trusted by diagnostic kit manufacturers for over two decades, with the quality and supply reliability regulated environments depend on.

Conventional UDG works well in standard PCR, where the 95°C denaturation step and cycling suppress the enzyme while new product forms. Reverse transcription in RT-qPCR and RT-LAMP, and isothermal amplification in LAMP, all run at much lower temperatures throughout, so conventional E. coli UDG remains active while new product is being made, degrading newly synthesized cDNA or DNA as fast as it forms.

The cold-active advantage in carryover contamination

StageE. coli UDGArcticZymes Cod UNG

Sample prep

~20–37 °C · dUTP amplicons + target present

⏱

Active at 37 °C

Requires a dedicated incubation step

✓

Active at room temperature

No separate high-temperature incubation step needed

Product synthesis

45–65 °C · RT or LAMP

⚠

Still active

Digests new products as it forms

✓

Inactive

New product is not degraded, ensuring no impact on reaction

PCR amplification

~60–95 °C cycling

✓

Inactive during cycling

Repeated high temperatures suppress activity

✓

Already inactive

Inactive since the previous stage

Storage & downstream use

after ≥ 55 °C exposure

⚠

Partly reactivates

Retains activity even after PCR cycling

✓

Irreversibly inactivated

Safe for sequencing, cloning, re-amplification

Cod UNG can remove contaminating amplicons during reaction setup and lose activity before synthesis begins, enabling reliable carry-over prevention in one-step RT-qPCR, RT-LAMP, and PCR alike. As the reaction proceeds through PCR amplification, Cod UNG becomes irreversibly inactivated, preserving newly synthesized product for downstream applications such as sequencing, cloning, and re-amplification.

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Key benefits of Cod UNG

1. Reliable carry-over prevention

Efficiently removes uracil-containing amplicons from previous reactions before amplification begins, restoring assay sensitivity in contaminated samples.

2. Built for one-step RT-qPCR

Heat-labile design ensures carryover control does not interfere with cDNA synthesis in one-step RT-qPCR. See Figure 1 for details.

3.Simplifies automated diagnostic workflows

Irreversibly inactivated, nothing left behind to compromise your PCR product integrity. No inhibitor addition or post-PCR intervention required, supporting streamlined automated workflows and easier assay integration. See Figure 2 for details.

4. Built for easy integration

Cod UNG is designed to drop into existing workflows with minimal extra optimization: it works across commonly used RT-PCR, PCR and LAMP buffers and master mixes.

5. Manufacturing you can build on

Cod UNG is manufactured under ISO 13485, with a secure and consistent supply chain suited to regulated diagnostic kit production, and has supported diagnostic kit manufacturers for over two decades.

6. Glycerol-free formulation available

Also supplied in a glycerol-free formulation for customers integrating and lyophilizing Cod UNG into their own kit formats. See Figure 3 for stability data in a typical reaction buffer.

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Applications

Cod UNG is ideal for contamination control in:

Each application page includes a recommended starting protocol, supporting performance data, and technical detail specific to that workflow.

Looking to integrate Cod UNG into your own assay? Contact our Cod UNG experts to discuss the best approach for your specific application.

Figures

Figure 1. Cod UNG allows low-temperature synthesis to proceed without product loss

One-step RT-qPCR was performed with Cod UNG present throughout reverse transcription and amplification. cDNA synthesis proceeded normally, yielding Cq values equivalent to an untreated control.

Figure 2. Only Cod UNG does not reactivate after heat treatment

PCR was performed with dUTP and one of five commercially available UDGs. Post-PCR, the products were incubated at room temperature for various intervals, then heated and cooled. Gel electrophoresis showed reactivation and severe product degradation with every UDG tested except Cod UNG.

Figure 3. Cod UNG retains activity in a lyophilized reaction mix after over 70 weeks at ambient temperature

Cod UNG (Glycerol-Free) was lyophilized in a complete reaction mix at 0.04 /µL, stored at ambient temperature and reconstituted to 1× before activity measurement. Across two independently prepared batches, activity remained within assay variability of the 0.04 U/µL target after initial storage and shipping (2.5 and 6 weeks), with no further loss detected after 73 and 77 weeks. Results are from a single study conducted by an external laboratory. Recovery may vary with lyophilization conditions, formulation and excipients.

Properties

Unit Definition

One Unit is defined as the amount of enzyme that liberates 1 nmol Uracil per hour from Uracil-labelled DNA at 37°C in 70 mm Tris-HCI pH 8.0 (@25°C), 10 mM NaCI, 1 mM EDTA and 0.1 mg/ml BSA.

Specific activity

> 500 000 Units/mg

Purity

Purified to apparent homogeneity by SDS-PAGE. No nuclease activity is detected.

Concentration

Minimum 1 000 Units /ml.

Stability

Minimum shelf life for standard formulation at -20°C is 3 years. In practice we find that storage at 4°C is possible for at least 6 months. The enzyme activity is also preserved upon multiple freeze-thaw cycles.