Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42399939›Full record

ReviewCell communication and signaling : CCS2026

R-loops and D-loops: a delicate balance in genomic stability and instability.

Zhendong Qin, Mingjun Lu, Jiaqi Zhao, Jiabao Hou, Jingwei Guo, Jinghong Wu, Chenyang Wang, Xiaoyue Zhu, Teng Ma

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cell communication and signaling : CCS, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Zhendong Qin *Cancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Mingjun Lu *Cancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Jiaqi ZhaoCancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Jiabao HouCancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Jingwei GuoCancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Jinghong WuCancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Chenyang WangCancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Xiaoyue ZhuCancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China.
Teng MaCancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing, 101149, China. mateng82913@163.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8360-1543

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

R-loops and D-loops are three-stranded nucleic acid structures that have emerged as central regulators of genome stability, gene expression, and DNA metabolism. R-loops form co-transcriptionally or post-transcriptionally when nascent RNA re-anneals with the template DNA strand, generating an RNA: DNA hybrid that displaces the non-template strand into a single-stranded state. These structures are enriched at CpG island promoters, transcription termination sites, and immunoglobulin class-switch regions, where they coordinate transcription regulation, chromatin remodeling, and DNA damage signaling. D-loops are formed when a single-stranded DNA segment pairs with one strand of a duplex and displaces the other, arising through context-dependent mechanisms that include RAD51- or DMC1-mediated strand invasion in homologous recombination, shelterin-assisted invasion at telomeres, and replication-coupled strand displacement at the mitochondrial DNA origin. They serve as indispensable intermediates in double-strand break repair, telomere maintenance, and mitochondrial DNA replication. Recent cryo-electron microscopy studies have resolved the stepwise RAD51-mediated strand exchange mechanism at near-atomic resolution, substantially advancing structural understanding of D-loop biogenesis. Despite their differences in molecular composition, both structures remodel Watson-Crick base pairing and, when dysregulated, are associated with replication fork stalling, transcription-replication conflicts, and aberrant recombination. This review systematically compares the structural features, formation mechanisms, regulatory networks, and biological functions of R-loops and D-loops, with emphasis on their convergent roles in safeguarding genome integrity. We further discuss rapidly evolving detection technologies and emerging therapeutic strategies targeting these structures in cancer and neurodegeneration, identifying key unresolved questions for future investigation.

Indexed as

DNAGenomic InstabilityR-Loop StructuresAnimalsDNA ReplicationHumansDNAD-loopDNA replicationGenome stabilityHomologous recombinationR-loopTranscription

Identifiers

PMID42399939
PMCPMC13560373

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.