User:GreenAlgae/SMC6

Structural maintenance of chromosomes protein 6 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SMC6 gene.

Structure
The SMC6 was discovered first in fission yeast as RAD18 (SMC6). It forms a heterodimeric complex with Spr18 (SMC5) protein. In yeast, SMC5/6 complex has sub-units which consists of SMC5, SMC6 and six nonstructural maintenance of chromosomes (NSE) proteins.

Nse subunits
Nse1-Nse3-Nse4 subunits bridge the heads of the Smc5 and Smc6 proteins and allow the complex to bind DNA. Nse5 and Nse6 form a sub-complex which localizes to the head of the SMC5/6 complex in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and to the hinges of the SMC5/6 complex in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The Nse5/6 sub-complex is required for the replication of S. cerevisiae, but has not been characterized as essential in S. pombe. Orthologous proteins to Nse5-Nse6 exist in other eukaryotes, namely ASAP1-SNI1 in Arabidopsis thaliana and SLF1-SLF2 in humans, which are believed have similar function to their Nse counterparts. The localization of SLF1 and SLF2 on the human SMC5/6 complex is unknown.