8-OxodG base excision repair enzymes are found from plants to primates (Hirano, 2008) and the importance of 8-oxodG removal is highlighted in knock-out experiments, where hOGG1−/− mice show accumulation of 8-oxodG in their genomes and susceptibility to development of at least lung tumours, ulcerative colitis-induced colorectal adenocarcinomas and UV-induced skin tumours (Sakumi et al, 2003; Kunisada et al, 2005; Liao et al, 2008). Here, OGG1 is linked to colorectal adenocarcinoma.