UPF1 promotes the formation of R loops to stimulate DNA double-strand break repair

Abstract

R loops are formed when single-stranded RNA anneals to one strand of DNA, forming three-stranded structures containing DNA-RNA hybrids and the displaced non-template single-stranded DNA. Here the authors reveal that the DNA:RNA helicase UPF1 plays a role in promoting R loops formation at telomeric double strand breaks to stimulate DNA resection and repair.