Endonuclease that cooperates with the MRE11-RAD50-NBN (MRN) complex in DNA-end resection, the first step of double-strand break (DSB) repair through the homologous recombination (HR) pathway (PubMed:17965729, PubMed:19202191, PubMed:19759395, PubMed:20064462). HR is restricted to S and G2 phases of the cell cycle and preferentially repairs DSBs resulting from replication fork collapse (PubMed:17965729, PubMed:19202191). Key determinant of DSB repair pathway choice, as it commits cells to HR by preventing classical non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) (PubMed:19202191). Functions downstream of the MRN complex and ATM, promotes ATR activation and its recruitment to DSBs in the S/G2 phase facilitating the generation of ssDNA (PubMed:16581787, PubMed:17965729, PubMed:19759395, PubMed:20064462). Component of the BRCA1-RBBP8 complex that regulates CHEK1 activation and controls cell cycle G2/M checkpoints on DNA damage (PubMed:15485915, PubMed:16818604). During immunoglobulin heavy chain class-switch recombination, promotes microhomology-mediated alternative end joining (A-NHEJ) and plays an essential role in chromosomal translocations (By similarity).