The protein encoded by this gene is one of two human homologs of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rad23, a protein involved in the nucleotide excision repair (NER). This protein was found to be a component of the protein complex that specifically complements the NER defect of xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XP-c) cell extracts in vitro. This protein was also shown to interact with, and elevate the nucleotide excision activity of 3-methyladenine-DNA glycosylase (MPG), which suggested a role in DNA damage recognition in base excision repair. This protein contains an N-terminal ubiquitin-like domain, which was reported to interact with 26S proteasome, and thus this protein may be involved in the ubiquitin mediated proteolytic pathway in cells. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms.