The SMC6 was discovered first in fission yeast as RAD18 (SMC6). It forms a heterodimeric complex with Spr18 (SMC5) protein.[7][8] In yeast, SMC5/6 complex has sub-units which consists of SMC5, SMC6 and six nonstructural maintenance of chromosomes (NSE) proteins. Nse1-Nse3-Nse4 subunits bridge the Smc5 head Smc6 and allow the binding of DNA. [9][10][11]
It is involved in the Alternative lengthening of telomeres cancer mechanism.[14]
Role in recombination and meiosis[]
Smc6 and Smc5 proteins form a heterodimeric ring-like structure and together with other non-SMC elements form the SMC-5/6 complex. In the worm Caenorhabditis elegans this complex interacts with the HIM-6(BLM) helicase to promote meiotic recombination intermediate processing and chromosome maturation.[15] The SMC-5/6 complex in mouse oocytes is essential for the formation of segregation competent bivalents during meiosis.[16] In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, SMC6 is necessary for resistance to DNA damage as well as for damage-induced interchromosomal and sister chromatid recombination.[17] In humans, a chromosome breakage syndrome characterized by severe lung disease in early childhood is associated with a mutation in a component of the SMC-5/6 complex.[18] Patient’s cells display chromosome rearrangements, micronuclei, sensitivity to DNA damage and defective homologous recombination.
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Potts PR, Yu H (2007). "The SMC5/6 complex maintains telomere length in ALT cancer cells through SUMOylation of telomere-binding proteins". Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 14 (7): 581–90. doi:10.1038/nsmb1259. PMID17589526. S2CID7915836.
^Onoda F, Takeda M, Seki M, Maeda D, Tajima J, Ui A, Yagi H, Enomoto T (2004). "SMC6 is required for MMS-induced interchromosomal and sister chromatid recombinations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae". DNA Repair (Amst.). 3 (4): 429–39. doi:10.1016/j.dnarep.2003.12.007. PMID15010319.
^van der Crabben SN, Hennus MP, McGregor GA, Ritter DI, Nagamani SC, Wells OS, Harakalova M, Chinn IK, Alt A, Vondrova L, Hochstenbach R, van Montfrans JM, Terheggen-Lagro SW, van Lieshout S, van Roosmalen MJ, Renkens I, Duran K, Nijman IJ, Kloosterman WP, Hennekam E, Orange JS, van Hasselt PM, Wheeler DA, Palecek JJ, Lehmann AR, Oliver AW, Pearl LH, Plon SE, Murray JM, van Haaften G (2016). "Destabilized SMC5/6 complex leads to chromosome breakage syndrome with severe lung disease". J. Clin. Invest. 126 (8): 2881–92. doi:10.1172/JCI82890. PMC4966312. PMID27427983.