Final answer:
The function of Rad50 protein is to generate double-strand breaks (Option B). It participates in the detection and repair of double-strand breaks by binding and holding together the ends of broken DNA as part of the MRN complex, facilitating the repair process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The function of the Rad50 protein is to bind at double-stranded breaks in DNA and recruit other factors that are involved in the homologous recombination repair pathways.
It is part of the MRN complex which, alongside MRE11 and NBS1, plays a crucial role in the detection and repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA.
Rad50 responds to DSBs by holding together the broken ends, preventing them from drifting apart, and thereby facilitating subsequent repair processes.
Rad50 is not directly involved in strand invasion like Rad51 or DMC1, but rather it is essential in the initial detection and tethering of DSB ends.
Additionally, Rad50 does not possess endonuclease or exonuclease activity and thus doesn't create 5'-recessed ends or 3'-protruding ends itself.
However, it is a part of a protein assembly that engages enzymes like MRE11 to process DNA ends.
Moreover, Rad50 is not responsible for the removal of Spo11 from double-strand breaks; this task is carried out by other specialized proteins such as Sae2.
Hence, the correct answer is Option B.