R-loop and Its Functions at the Regulatory Interfaces Between Transcription and (epi)genome
Overview
Biophysics
Genetics
Molecular Biology
Authors
Affiliations
R-loop represents a prevalent and specialized chromatin structure critically involved in a wide range of biological processes. In particular, co-transcriptional R-loops, produced often due to RNA polymerase pausing or RNA biogenesis malfunction, can initiate molecular events to context-dependently regulate local gene transcription and crosstalk with chromatin modifications. Cellular "readers" of R-loops are identified, exerting crucial impacts on R-loop homeostasis and gene regulation. Mounting evidence also supports R-loop deregulation as a frequent, sometimes initiating, event during the development of human pathologies, notably cancer and neurological disorder. The purpose of this review is to cover recent advances in understanding the fundamentals of R-loop biology, which have started to unveil complex interplays of R-loops with factors involved in various biological processes such as transcription, RNA processing and epitranscriptomic modification (such as N6-methyladenosine), DNA damage sensing and repair, and epigenetic regulation.
Corso Diaz X, Liang X, Preston K, Tegshee B, English M, Nellissery J Elife. 2025; 13.
PMID: 40047526 PMC: 11884789. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.103259.
Beyond the Synapse: and FMRP Molecular Mechanisms in the Nucleus.
Hansen N, Dischler A, Dias C Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(1.
PMID: 39796070 PMC: 11720320. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26010214.
Wu Y, Lin S, Chen H, Zheng X Cell Mol Life Sci. 2024; 82(1):1.
PMID: 39656315 PMC: 11631829. DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05536-1.
Corso-Diaz X, Liang X, Preston K, Preston Jr K, Tegshee B, English M bioRxiv. 2024; .
PMID: 39345562 PMC: 11430021. DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.19.613899.
Epigenetic insights into Fragile X Syndrome.
Xie L, Li H, Xiao M, Chen N, Zang X, Liu Y Front Cell Dev Biol. 2024; 12:1432444.
PMID: 39220684 PMC: 11362040. DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1432444.