A bibliometric analysis of research on R-loop: Landscapes, highlights and trending topics

R-loop is a necessary intermediate in specific cellular processes. To profile the landscapes, highlights, and trending topics of R-loop, publications related to R-loop from 1976 to 2022 were downloaded and bibliometric analyses were performed by Bibliometrix in R and VOSviewer. 1428 documents (including 1092 articles and 336 reviews) were included. USA, United Kingdom, and China contributed more than one-third of the publications. The annual publication increased rapidly since 2010. The research trend of R-loop has evolved from the discovery of phenomena to the exploration of molecular mechanisms, from the elucidation of biological functions to the analysis of disease correlations. Ongoing roles of R-loop in DNA repair process was highlighted and further analyzed. This study may accelerate R-loop research by highlighting important researches, understanding the trending topic, and integrating with other areas.