Meiosis-specific protein; component of the Synaptonemal Complex (SC) along with Gmc2p; required for efficient crossover formation and for the efficient loading of the SC transverse filament protein, Zip1p; is SUMOlytaed in a Gmc2p manner, and SUMOylation is required for its function in meiosis; GFP fusion protein is present in discrete clusters in the nucleus throughout mitosis; may be involved in maintaining chromatin structure