The function of ENSG00000026297 (RNASET2, ribonuclease T2) is as follows. Ribonuclease that plays an essential role in innate immune response by recognizing and degrading RNAs from microbial pathogens that are subsequently sensed by TLR8 (PubMed:31778653). Cleaves preferentially single-stranded RNA molecules between purine and uridine residues, which critically contributes to the supply of catabolic uridine and the generation of purine-2',3'-cyclophosphate-terminated oligoribonucleotides (PubMed:31778653, PubMed:38697119). In turn, RNase T2 degradation products promote the RNA-dependent activation of TLR8 (PubMed:31778653). In plasmacytoid dendritic cells, it cooperates with PLD3 or PLD4 5'->3' exonucleases to process RNA fragments and release 2',3'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (2',3'-cGMP), a potent stimulatory ligand for TLR7 (PubMed:38697119). Also plays a key role in degradation of mitochondrial RNA and processing of non-coding RNA imported from the cytosol into mitochondria (PubMed:28730546, PubMed:30184494). Participates as well in degradation of mitochondrion-associated cytosolic rRNAs (PubMed:30385512). {ECO:0000269|PubMed:16620762, ECO:0000269|PubMed:19525954, ECO:0000269|PubMed:22735700, ECO:0000269|PubMed:28730546, ECO:0000269|PubMed:30184494, ECO:0000269|PubMed:30385512, ECO:0000269|PubMed:31778653, ECO:0000269|PubMed:38697119}.