When genomic DNA is transcribed into RNA, the RNA and DNA may get tangled with each other. This creates unusual RNA-DNA hybrid molecules, known as R-loops, that cause the DNA to be broken so that double-strand breaks form.

Dr. Karlene Cimprich and her team at Stanford University have pioneered research into R-loops and have shown that R-loops are present in cancer cells, sometimes in excess.

She’s joined in this conversation by Dr. Alan Zahler of the University of California, Santa Cruz, who leads a lab studying the regulation of pre-mRNA splicing and analysis of small RNA function and biogenesis.

Together they discuss the science behind R-loops and what’s on the horizon.