Excision of uracil introduced into the immunoglobulin loci by AID is central to antibody diversification. While predominantly carried out by the UNG uracil-DNA glycosylase as reflected by deficiency in immunoglobulin class switching in Ung(-/-) mice, the deficiency is incomplete, as evidenced by the emergence of switched IgG in the serum of Ung(-/-) mice. Lack of switching in mice deficient in both UNG and MSH2 suggested that mismatch repair initiated a backup pathway. We now show that most of the residual class switching in Ung(-/-) mice depends upon the endogenous SMUG1 uracil-DNA glycosylase, with in vitro switching to IgG1 as well as serum IgG3, IgG2b, and IgA greatly diminished in Ung(-/-) Smug1(-/-) mice, and that Smug1 partially compensates for Ung deficiency over time. Nonetheless, using a highly MSH2-dependent... 更多