The function of ENSG00000070501 (POLB, DNA polymerase beta) is as follows. Repair polymerase that plays a key role in base-excision repair (PubMed:10556592, PubMed:9207062, PubMed:9572863). During this process, the damaged base is excised by specific DNA glycosylases, the DNA backbone is nicked at the abasic site by an apurinic/apyrimidic (AP) endonuclease, and POLB removes 5'-deoxyribose-phosphate from the preincised AP site acting as a 5'-deoxyribose-phosphate lyase (5'-dRP lyase); through its DNA polymerase activity, it adds one nucleotide to the 3' end of the arising single-nucleotide gap (PubMed:10556592, PubMed:17526740, PubMed:8841119, PubMed:9556598, PubMed:9572863, PubMed:9614142). Conducts 'gap-filling' DNA synthesis in a stepwise distributive fashion rather than in a processive fashion as for other DNA polymerases. It is also able to cleave sugar-phosphate bonds 3' to an intact AP site, acting as an AP lyase (PubMed:9614142). {ECO:0000269|PubMed:10556592, ECO:0000269|PubMed:11805079, ECO:0000269|PubMed:17526740, ECO:0000269|PubMed:21362556, ECO:0000269|PubMed:8841119, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9207062, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9556598, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9572863, ECO:0000269|PubMed:9614142}.