This gene encodes a protein that is required for DNA double-strand break repair, chromosome synapsis, and meiotic recombination in spermatocytes. Male mice with a knockout of the orthologous gene are viable but sterile. Loss-of-function mutations in the orthologous mouse gene cause early meiotic arrest in spermatocytes, before the mid-pachytene stage. Naturally occurring mutations in this gene are associated with nonobstructive azoospermia. [provided by RefSeq, Apr 2017].