Spo11

SPO11
Identifiers
Aliases	SPO11, CT35, SPATA43, TOPVIA, initiator of meiotic double stranded breaks, SPO11 initiator of meiotic double stranded breaks, Meiotic recombination, Spo11, Meiotic_Spo11, IPR013048, Spo11, TOPOVIA
External IDs	OMIM: 605114; MGI: 1349669; HomoloGene: 6059; GeneCards: SPO11; OMA:SPO11 - orthologs
Gene location (Human)
Chr.	Chromosome 20 (human)
End	57,343,994 bp
Gene location (Mouse)
Chr.	Chromosome 2 (mouse)
End	172,835,369 bp
RNA expression pattern
	Top expressed in
	gonad; ; testicle; ; right testis; ; left testis; ; duodenum; ; somatic cell; ; muscle; ; muscle; ; skeletal muscle; ; mononuclear cell;
	Top expressed in
	spermatocyte; ; seminiferous tubule; ; thymus; ; spermatid; ; Paneth cell; ; embryo; ; tail of embryo; ; hair follicle; ; genital tubercle; ; ovary;
	More reference expression data
	n/a
Gene ontology
Molecular function	metal ion binding; catalytic activity; hydrolase activity; ATP binding; protein binding; isomerase activity; DNA topoisomerase type II (double strand cut, ATP-hydrolyzing) activity; endodeoxyribonuclease activity, producing 3'-phosphomonoesters; DNA binding;
Cellular component	chromosome; telomere; nucleus; nuclear chromosome;
Biological process	protein localization to chromosome; female gamete generation; meiotic telomere clustering; male meiosis I; DNA metabolic process; DNA catabolic process, endonucleolytic; oogenesis; homologous chromosome pairing at meiosis; meiosis; synaptonemal complex assembly; spermatogenesis; spermatid development; ovarian follicle development; meiotic DNA double-strand break processing; meiotic DNA double-strand break formation; reciprocal meiotic recombination; double-strand break repair involved in meiotic recombination;
	Sources:Amigo / QuickGO
Orthologs
	23626
	26972
	ENSG00000054796
	ENSMUSG00000005883
	Q9Y5K1; Q5TCH6
	Q9WTK8
	NM_012444; NM_198265
	NM_001083959; NM_001083960; NM_012046; NM_001305434
	NP_036576; NP_937998
	NP_001077428; NP_001077429; NP_001292363; NP_036176
	Wikidata
View/Edit Human	View/Edit Mouse

Spo11 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SPO11 gene. Spo11, in a complex with mTopVIB, creates double strand breaks to initiate meiotic recombination. Its active site contains a tyrosine which ligates and dissociates with DNA to promote break formation. One Spo11 protein is involved per strand of DNA, thus two Spo11 proteins are involved in each double stranded break event.

Genetic exchange between two DNA molecules by homologous recombination can begin with a break in both strands of DNA—called a double-strand break—and recombination is started by an endonuclease enzyme that cuts the DNA molecule that "receives" the exchanged DNA. In meiosis the enzyme is SPO11, which is related to DNA topoisomerases. Topoisomerases change DNA by transiently breaking one or both strands, passing the unbroken DNA strand or strands through the break and repairing the break; the broken ends of the DNA are covalently linked to topoisomerase. SPO11 is similarly attached to the DNA when it forms double-strand breaks during meiosis.