Donor transcription suppresses D-loops in cis and promotes genome stability

DNA is a substrate for competing protein-mediated activities. Whether and how transcription and the synaptic steps of recombination collide or are coordinated has not been investigated. Here, using a controlled break induction system and physical detection of D-loop DNA joint molecules in S. cerevisiae , we show that donor transcription by RNA polymerase II strongly and acutely suppresses D-loops in cis . The extent of this suppression depends on the orientation of transcription, suggesting the preferential usage of one end for the repair of DNA break in transcribed regions. Transcription-mediated D-loop suppression does not rely on endogenous transcription factors, the RNA product, or RNA:DNA hybrids. It is independent of, and can be more potent than the conserved trans D-loop-disruption factors Sgs1-Top3-Rmi1 BLM-TOPO3α-RMI1/2 , Mph1 FANCM , and Srs2. This transcription-mediated control promotes genome maintenance by inhibiting ectopic recombination and multi-invasion-induced rearrangements, while authorizing allelic inter-homolog repair. These findings reveal the prioritization between two universal DNA-dependent processes and its role in promoting genome stability.