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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Feb 18.
Published in final edited form as: Nature. 2021 May 12;594(7862):283–288. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03538-8

Extended Data Fig. 12 |. Model of the role of DR-loops in HR.

Extended Data Fig. 12 |

The formation of DSBs in transcribed regions triggers the recruitment of both RAD51 and RAD51AP1. RAD51AP1 may associate with RNA transcripts through direct RNA binding. In S and G2 cells, RAD51AP1 promotes the invasion of RNA transcripts into donor DNA on sister chromatids. The presence of R-loops and RAD51AP1 in donor DNA may facilitate the invasion of RAD51 filaments, stabilize invaded ssDNA, help RAD51 find homologous sequences and promote the extension of ssDNA ends in DR-loops. It is also possible that RNA transcripts anneal with the displaced ssDNA in D-loops, helping to stabilize invaded ssDNA and extend ssDNA ends in DR-loops. The DNA–RNA hybrids in DR-loops are probably removed in a later step to allow the completion of HR.