him-6 encodes a RecQ-like ATP-dependent DNA helicase orthologous to human BLM; HIM-6 is required for normal levels of recombination during meiosis and as such, loss of HIM-6 function results in an increased frequency of genotypically XO males and inviable aneuoploid embryos as a result of higher levels of chromosome nondisjunction; HIM-6 interacts both genetically and in vitro with TOP-3, DNA topoisomerase IIIalpha, with which it functions to regulate genomic stability during germ-line mitosis; HIM-6 is expressed primarily in the germ line.
Enables 3'-5' DNA helicase activity and enzyme binding activity. Involved in several processes, including determination of adult lifespan; meiotic nuclear division; and resolution of recombination intermediates. Located in chromosome and nucleus. Used to study Bloom syndrome. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in Bloom syndrome. Is an ortholog of human BLM (BLM RecQ like helicase).
Inferred by orthology to human genes with DO annotation (HGNC:1058)
Disease_relevance
Mutations in the human BLM gene (a RecQ family DNA helicase) are implicatd in Bloom syndrome, an inherited disorder characterized by short stature, increased sensitivity to sunlight, a greatly increased risk of cancer and infertility; at the cellular level it is characterized by genomic instability, in particular, hyperrecombination between sister chromatids and homologous chromosomes; the C. elegans BLM ortholog, him-6, exhibits DNA-dependent ATPase activity and mutants show an enhanced irradiation sensitivity, a partially defective S-phase checkpoint, and in reduced levels of DNA-damage induced apoptosis.