- Hu, Jiyun;
- Xing, Zetong;
- Yang, Hongbing;
- Zhou, Yongli;
- Guo, Liufei;
- Zhang, Xianhong;
- Xu, Longsheng;
- Liu, Qiong;
- Ye, Jing;
- Zhong, Xiaoming;
- Wang, Jixin;
- Lin, Ruoyao;
- Long, Erping;
- Jiang, Jiewei;
- Chen, Liang;
- Pan, Yongcheng;
- He, Lang;
- Chen, Jia-Yu
R-loops play diverse functional roles, but controversial genomic localization of R-loops have emerged from experimental approaches, posing significant challenges for R-loop research. The development and application of an accurate computational tool for studying human R-loops remains an unmet need. Here, we introduce DeepER, a deep learning-enhanced R-loop prediction tool. DeepER showcases outstanding performance compared to existing tools, facilitating accurate genome-wide annotation of R-loops and a deeper understanding of the position- and context-dependent effects of nucleotide composition on R-loop formation. DeepER also unveils a strong association between certain tandem repeats and R-loop formation, opening a new avenue for understanding the mechanisms underlying some repeat expansion diseases. To facilitate broader utilization, we have developed a user-friendly web server as an integral component of R-loopBase. We anticipate that DeepER will find extensive applications in the field of R-loop research.