Essential meiotic structure-specific endonuclease subunit 2 (EME2)

Essential meiotic structure-specific endonuclease subunit 2 (EME2) is the non-catalytic regulatory partner in a heterodimeric DNA structure-specific endonuclease complex with MUS81. This complex functions as an XPF-family enzyme that cleaves branched DNA structures—such as 3’-flap structures, replication forks, and Holliday junctions—that arise during replication stress, homologous recombination, and DNA repair. EME2's primary role is to promote genome stability by facilitating the resolution of recombination intermediates and enabling proper chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis[1][2][3][6]. In vertebrates, the MUS81-EME2 complex demonstrates enhanced activity and a broader substrate spectrum compared to MUS81-EME1, efficiently processing recombination and replication intermediates including intact Holliday junctions and D-loops. Disruption or impaired regulation of EME2 function can contribute to genomic instability, a key hallmark of cancer, and other diseases linked to defective DNA repair[6]. Note: No direct evidence was found for approved therapeutic drugs or diagnostic biomarkers targeting EME2 specifically. Its enzymatic function and interaction with MUS81 make it of interest for cancer biology and potentially as a drug target, but there are currently no known specific inhibitors or clinical tools directly targeting EME2[6].

Other names

Structure-specific endonuclease subunit EME2FLJ00151SLX2BSLX2 structure-specific endonuclease subunit homolog Bgs125essential meiotic endonuclease 1 homolog 2probable crossover junction endonuclease EME2homolog of yeast EME1 endonuclease 2