While the mechanisms of telomere maintenance has been investigated in dividing 
cells, little is known about the stability of telomeres in quiescent cells and 
how dysfunctional telomeres are processed in non-proliferating cells. Here we 
examine the stability of telomeres in quiescent cells using fission yeast. While 
wild type telomeres are stable in quiescence, we observe that eroded telomeres 
were highly rearranged during quiescence in telomerase minus cells. These 
rearrangements depend on homologous recombination (HR) and correspond to 
duplications of subtelomeric regions. HR is initiated at newly identified 
subtelomeric homologous repeated sequences (HRS). We further show that TERRA 
(Telomeric Repeat-containing RNA) is increased in post-mitotic cells with short 
telomeres and correlates with telomere rearrangements. Finally, we demonstrate 
that rearranged telomeres prevent cells to exit properly from quiescence. Taken 
together, we describe in fission yeast a mode of telomere repair mechanism 
specific to post-mitotic cells that is likely promoted by transcription.