Plays an important role in the loading of the cohesin complex on to meiotic chromosomes (PubMed:21856158). Forms a heterodimeric complex (also known as cohesin loading complex) with mau-2/SCC4 which mediates the loading of the cohesin complex onto chromatin (By similarity). Plays an essential role in cell division during embryonic development (PubMed:15146185, PubMed:16802858). Promotes normal chromosome organization during meiosis (PubMed:21856158). Required for the assembly of the synaptonemal complex between homologous chromosomes to promote sister chromatid cohesion during meiosis (PubMed:21856158). Required for chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis (PubMed:16802858). Plays a role in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair during meiotic recombination and promotes the assembly of the 9-1-1 cell-cycle checkpoint response complex which is required for inducing apoptosis in response to DNA damage, at DNA damage sites (PubMed:21856158). May heterodimerize with mau-2/SCC4 to form the cohesin loading complex. Localizes to pachytene nuclei in germlines (PubMed:21856158). Localizes to the axial element of meiotic chromosomes in germlines (PubMed:21856158). RNAi-mediated knockdown results in 100% embryonic lethality (PubMed:15146185, PubMed:16802858). Any survivors display a paralyzed uncoordinated phenotype, body morphology defects and sometimes a vulval defect (PubMed:15146185). RNAi-mediated knockdown results in chromosome segregation defects in early embryos with lagging chromosomes at the anaphase phase of mitosis (PubMed:16802858). RNAi-mediated knockdown results in cytological defects in the pachytene and diakinesis phases of meiosis in the germline (PubMed:21856158). RNAi-mediated knockdown abolishes loading of cohesin complex components smc-1, smc-3 and rec-8 onto the to the axial element of meiotic chromosomes in the germline, however these subunits do accumulate in the mitotic nuclei and the meiotic S phase nuclei that precede the start of meiotic prophase (PubMed:21856158). RNAi-mediated knockdown results in defective DNA double-strand break repair during meiosis resulting in an accumulation of rad-51-positive recombination intermediates and elongated rad-51-positive recombination structures in the mid and late pachytene region of the germline (PubMed:21856158). There is an increase in apoptosis in response to the accumulation of recombination intermediates, but only in the presence of smc-1, indicative of a defective DNA damage response (PubMed:21856158). Belongs to the SCC2/Nipped-B family.