Our genome is constantly subject to damage from exogenous and endogenous sources, and cells respond to such damage by initiating a DNA damage response (DDR). Failure to induce an adequate DDR can result in increased mutation load, chromosomal aberrations and a variety of human diseases, including cancer. A rapidly growing body of evidence suggests that a large number of RNA binding proteins are involved in the DDR, and several canonical DNA repair factors have moonlighting functions in RNA metabolism. RNA polymerases and RNA itself have been implicated at various stages of the DDR, including damage sensing, recruitment of DNA repair factors and tethering of broken DNA ends. RNA may even serve as a template for DNA repair under certain conditions. Given the vast number of non-coding RNAs in cells, we have barely started to decipher their potential involvement in genomic maintenance and future research on the interrelationship between RNA and DNA repair may open entirely new treatment options for human disease.

我们的基因组经常受到来自外源和内源性来源的破坏，而细胞会通过启动DNA破坏反应（DDR）来应对这种破坏。未能诱导出足够的DDR会导致突变负荷增加，染色体畸变以及包括癌症在内的各种人类疾病。迅速增长的证据表明，DDR中涉及大量RNA结合蛋白，并且几种典型的DNA修复因子在RNA代谢中具有月光作用。RNA聚合酶和RNA本身已牵连到DDR的各个阶段，包括损伤感测，DNA修复因子的募集和断裂的DNA末端的束缚。在某些条件下，RNA甚至可以用作DNA修复的模板。鉴于细胞中存在大量非编码RNA，