Reciprocal Links between RNA Metabolism and DNA Damage

Dear Colleagues,

Two central parts of molecular biology are the control of genome integrity and genome expression. The study of genome integrity has largely relied on detailed analyses of the fundamental processes of DNA replication, repair, and recombination and their intimate links between each other and with the cell cycle. Meanwhile, the study of eukaryotic genome expression has revealed that a large part of it—not just genes—is transcribed into a multitude of RNAs, that all the steps of gene expression—from transcription to translation and RNA decay—are regulated, and that multiple steps occur cotranscriptionally, including pre-mRNA degradation, maturation by (alternative) splicing and polyadenylation, subtle modifications like methylation, and release from chromatin.

The past decade has revealed reciprocal links between the control of genome integrity and expression. Firstly, DNA damage widely regulates RNA metabolism, and genes controlling genome integrity are coordinately and specifically regulated at multiple levels of RNA processing. Secondly, the processes of DNA replication and repair on one hand, and the processes of transcription and cotranscriptional RNA processing on the other hand, are connected and reciprocally impact each other in multiple ways. For example, a major source of genome instability is the conflicts between DNA replication and transcription, and defects of cotranscriptional RNA processing can give rise to replication stress and DNA damage. Another example is the increasingly recognized involvement of transcription, noncoding RNAs, RNA–DNA hybrids (R-loops), and RNA-binding proteins in DNA repair and its control. Finally, connections between genome integrity and expression are found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, with established or suspected functions in specific cells (e.g., gene recombination in immune cells), the etiology of neurologic and oncologic diseases, and cell responses to therapeutic genotoxic agents.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide reviews and experimental advances on all aspects pertaining to the links between DNA damage and RNA metabolism, including—but not limited to—their underlying molecular mechanisms, their impact on biological and pathological phenotypes, and the potential insights they provide into additional fields (e.g., mechanisms of genome evolution, virus–host genome interactions).

Dr. Martin Dutertre
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.