The dark side of circular RNA, a new driver of genome instability

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed RNA molecules whose functions are still largely uncharacterized. In the July issue of Cancer Cell, Conn et al.1 demonstrate that circRNA can bind cognate DNA loci, forming circRNA-DNA hybrids (circR loops), driving genetic rearrangements of MLL/KMT2A, which are associated with the most aggressive acute leukemias.