SLX4 (also known as BTBD12 and FANCP) is a protein involved in DNA repair, where it has important roles in the final steps of homologous recombination. Mutations in the gene are associated with the disease Fanconi anemia.
The version of SLX4 present in humans and other mammals acts as a sort of scaffold upon which other proteins form several different multiprotein complexes. The SLX1-SLX4 complex acts as a Holliday junction resolvase. As such, the complex cleaves the links between two homologous chromosomes that form during homologous recombination. This allows the two linked chromosomes to resolve into two unconnected double-strand DNA molecules. SLX4 is also recruited to telomeres through interaction with the shelterin protein TRF2, where it helps prevent telomeric DNA damage and contributes to telomere homeostasis. The SLX4 interacting protein interacts with SLX4 in the DNA repair process, specifically in interstrand crosslink repair. SLX4 also associates with RAD1, RAD10 and SAW1 in the single-strand annealing pathway of homologous recombination. The DNA repair function of SLX4 is involved in sensitivity to proton beam radiation.
