Meiotic recombination protein SPO11 (SPO11)

Component of a topoisomerase 6 complex especially required for meiotic recombination. Together with TOP6BL, mediates DNA cleavage that creates the double-strand breaks (DSB) that initiate meiotic recombination.

The complex promotes comfort of negative and positive supercoiled DNA and DNA decatenation via cleavage and ligation cycles. Critical for the phosphorylation of SMC3, HORMAD1 and HORMAD2.