Genome integrity checkpoint protein and PI kinase superfamily member; Mec1p and Dun1p function in same pathway to regulate dNTP pools and telomere length; signal transducer required for cell cycle arrest and transcriptional responses to damaged or unreplicated DNA; facilitates replication fork progression and regulates P-body formation under replication stress; promotes interhomolog recombination by phosphorylating Hop1p; associates with shortened, dysfunctional telomeres