part of telomere maintenance site-specific telomere resolvase activity GO:0043336 TelN ResT Note that while this enzyme uses a similar reaction chemistry to topoisomerases and site-specific recombinases, it performs a unique reaction. Topoisomerases promote breakage and reunion of either one or two DNA strands to alter the topological state of a DNA molecule. Site-specific recombinases perform a more complex reaction in which four strands are broken and subsequently joined to a different DNA duplex, resulting in the production of a recombinant product. The telomere resolvases on the other hand, must break two phosphodiester bonds in a single DNA duplex (one on each strand) and join each end with the opposite DNA strand to form covalently closed hairpin telomeres. Catalysis of a site-specific breakage and reunion reaction that generates two hairpin telomeres from a replicated telomere substrate. Occurs via a two-step transesterification with a protein-DNA intermediate similar to that used by topoisomerases and site-specific recombinases. molecular_function catalytic activity, acting on DNA