Ku-core domain, Ku80 subfamily; Ku80 is a subunit of the Ku protein, which plays a key role in multiple nuclear processes such as DNA repair, chromosome maintenance, transcription regulation, and V(D)J recombination. The mechanism underlying the regulation of all the diverse functions of Ku is still unclear, although it seems that Ku is a multifunctional protein that works in nuclei. In mammalian cells, the Ku heterodimer recruits the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), which is dependent on its association with the Ku70/80 heterodimer bound to DNA for its protein kinase activity.