Required for initiation of meiotic chromosome synapsis. Involved in synaptonemal complex formation; a structure that tethers a pair of homologous chromosomes along their lengths and plays a central role in recombination and homolog segregation during meiosis. Required for the normal localization of MSH4 to chromosomes. {ECO:0000269|PubMed:10319812; ECO:0000269|PubMed:10848609; ECO:0000269|PubMed:10943844; ECO:0000269|PubMed:11454751; ECO:0000269|PubMed:15805472; ECO:0000269|PubMed:16740482; ECO:0000269|PubMed:9590170}.