bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.20.912634; this version posted February 27, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. RADX Sustains POT1 Function at Telomeres to Counteract RAD51 Binding, which Triggers Telomere Fragility Anna-Sophia Briod,1 Galina Glousker,1 and Joachim Lingner1,2,* 1 Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland 2 Lead Contact *Correspondence:
[email protected] bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.20.912634; this version posted February 27, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. Summary The 3’ terminal DNA extensions at chromosome ends can become engaged into multiple biochemical reactions during DNA replication, telomerase-mediated telomere extension, homology directed DNA repair, nucleolytic processing and DNA damage checkpoint activation. To keep these activities in check, telomeric 3’ overhangs can be hidden in t-loop structures or they associate with specialized proteins such as POT1. Here, we explore the telomeric microenvironment using a proximity-dependent labeling approach and identify the oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding (OB)-fold containing protein RADX. RADX binds single-stranded telomeric DNA throughout the cell cycle along with POT1, suppressing accumulation of fragile telomeres, which are indicative of telomere replication defects. Telomere fragility in POT1 and RADX double-depleted cells was due to accumulation of the RAD51 recombinase at telomeres.