Exonuclease with specificity for single-stranded RNA and, to a lesser extent for DNA. Degrades RNA at a rate that is approximately 35-fold higher than its rate for single-stranded DNA. May be involved in the antiviral function of IFN against RNA viruses (By similarity). Besides its function in antiviral defense, ISG20 may play additional roles in the maturation of snRNAs and rRNAs, and in ribosome biogenesis (By similarity).
Zahoor, Xue, Sato, Murakami, Takeshima, Aida: "HIV-1 Vpr induces interferon-stimulated genes in human monocyte-derived macrophages." in: PLoS ONE, Vol. 9, Issue 8, pp. e106418, (2014) (PubMed).
Möller, Pion, Narayan, Ball: "Intracellular activation of interferon regulatory factor-1 by nanobodies to the multifunctional (Mf1) domain." in: The Journal of biological chemistry, Vol. 285, Issue 49, pp. 38348-61, (2010) (PubMed).