Essential meiotic structure-specific endonuclease 1 (EME1)

Essential meiotic structure-specific endonuclease 1 (EME1) is a structure-specific endonuclease that forms a functional complex with MUS81, participating in the cleavage and resolution of branched DNA structures such as nicked Holliday junctions, 3'-flaps, and stalled replication forks. This endonuclease complex plays a critical role in DNA damage repair—especially processing intermediates of homologous recombination and resolving DNA structures at stalled or collapsed replication forks—and is essential for maintaining genomic integrity. Its activity is tightly regulated by phosphorylation and protein-protein interactions, and it is particularly vital when other repair pathways (e.g., those involving the BLM helicase) are compromised[1][2][3][4][5].

Other names

Structure-specific endonuclease subunit EME1MMS4hMMS4FLJ31364MMS4LSLX2ACrossover junction endonuclease EME1MMS4 homologSLX2 structure-specific endonuclease subunit homolog A (S. cerevisiae)structure-specific endonuclease subunit EME1SLX2 structure-specific endonuclease subunit homolog Acrossover junction endonuclease EME1essential meiotic endonuclease 1 homolog 1essential meiotic endonuclease 1 homolog 2homolog of yeast EME1 endonuclease

DNA-damaging agents induce replication stress that requires EME1-mediated processing for cell survival; EME1 is part of a critical DNA repair endonuclease complex (often with MUS81) that cuts branched DNA structures to facilitate DNA repair[2][3]