Resection of double-strand breaks (DSBs) plays a critical role in their detection and appropriate repair. The 3 ′ ssDNA protrusion formed through resection activates the ATR-dependent DNA damage response (DDR) and is required for DSB repair by homologous recombination (HR). Here we report that PHF11 (plant homeodomain finger 11) encodes a previously unknown DDR factor involved in 5 ′ end resection, ATR signaling, and HR. PHF11 was identified based on its association with deprotected telomeres and localized to sites of DNA damage in S phase. Depletion of PHF11 diminished the ATR signaling response to telomere dysfunction and genome-wide DNA damage, reduced end resection at sites of DNA damage, resulted in compromised HR and misrejoining of S-phase DSBs, and increased the sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents. PHF11 interacted with the ssDNA-binding protein RPA and was found in a complex with several nucleases, including the 5 ′ dsDNA exonuclease EXO1. Biochemical experiments demonstrated that PHF11 stimulates EXO1 by overcoming its inhibition by RPA, suggesting that PHF11 acts (in part) by promoting 5 ′ end resection at RPA-bound sites of DNA damage. These findings reveal a role for PHF11 in DSB resection, DNA damage signaling, and DSB repair.[Keywords: PHF11; EXO1; RPA; ATR; DSB; resection; homologous recombination] Supplemental material is available for this article.Received October 9, 2016; revised version accepted December 22, 2016.Nuclear double-strand breaks (DSBs) activate the ATM and ATR kinase-dependent DNA damage response (DDR) pathways (for review, see Ciccia and Elledge 2010). Whereas the ATM kinase responds to the presence of dsDNA ends, activation of the ATR kinase requires the presence of ssDNA that is bound by RPA. In addition, activation of the ATR kinase requires the loading of the 9-1-1 complex on the double-stranded-single-stranded junction formed after 5 ′ end resection. Resection of the 5 ′ end of DSBs is therefore a critical step in the activation of ATR signaling. DSB resection is also required for the initiation of several DNA repair pathways, including homologous recombination (HR) and single-strand annealing (SSA) (for review, see Symington and Gautier 2011). HR can restore the original DNA sequence using the sister chromatid as a template for repair. After 5 ′ end resection, HR is initiated by the BRCA2-mediated loading of the Rad51 recombinase onto the ssDNA. In the absence of HR, S-phase DSBs can become a substrate for more error-prone DSB repair, including SSA and classical or alternative nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). DSB resection is initiated through the agency of BRCA1, the MRE11/RAD50/NBS1 (MRN) complex, and CtIP (for review, see Cejka 2015). The outcome is a ssDNA end with a short (∼20-nucleotide [nt]) 3 ′ overhang that is a substrate for further nucleolytic attack by EXO1, a dsDNA exonuclease that degrades only the 5 ′ strand to leave a 3 ′ overhang that can be thousands of nucleotides in length. In addition, an overlapping pathway involving the DNA2 nuclease acting in conjun...