Component of both the Rpd3S and Rpd3L histone deacetylase complexes; negative regulator of meiosis; required for repression of a subset of meiotic genes during vegetative growth, binding of histone deacetylase Rpd3p required for activity, contains a NEE box and a WD repeat motif; homologous with Wtm1p; UME1 has a paralog, WTM2, that arose from the whole genome duplication