Together, Ku70 and Ku80 make up the Ku heterodimer, which binds to DNA double-strand break ends and is required for the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway of DNA repair. It is also required for V (D)J recombination, which utilizes the NHEJ pathway to promote antigen diversity in the mammalian immune system.In addition to its role in NHEJ, Ku is also required for telomere length maintenance and subtelomeric gene silencing. Ku was originally identified when patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were found to have high levels of autoantibodies to the protein.