Recent progresses on R-loop biology: from detection methods to biological functions

Abstract

R-loops are three-stranded chromatin structures composed of a single-stranded DNA and an RNA:DNA hybrid with important biological functions in numerous organisms. Numbers of R-loop regulators have been found to affect genomic events, such as transcription, replication, DNA damage, and repair, through modulating R-loop homeostasis. Over the last few years, with the development of R-loop detection methods, an increasing number of R-loop biological functions are being discovered. In this review, we provide an overview of R-loop detection methods and focus on the research progresses of R-loop functions in plants.