Part of a nucleotide salvage pathway that eliminates epigenetically modified 5-hydroxymethyl-dCMP (hmdCMP) in a two-step process entailing deamination to cytotoxic 5-hydroxymethyl-dUMP (hmdUMP), followed by its hydrolysis into 5-hydroxymethyluracil (hmU) and 2-deoxy-D-ribose 5-phosphate (deoxyribosephosphate) . Catalyzes the second step in that pathway, the hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond in hmdUMP, degrading this cytotoxic nucleotide to avoid its genomic integration .
Subcellular locations: Cytoplasm, Nucleus
Expressed at low levels in brain, colon, lung, peripheral blood leukocytes, placenta, small intestine, and thymus. Expressed at high levels in heart, kidney, liver, skeletal muscle and spleen. Overexpressed in a significant proportion of breast cancers.