XRN2 is a nuclear 5'→3' exoribonuclease that plays multifaceted roles in RNA processing and transcription termination 1. Its primary function involves processively degrading single-stranded RNA with 5'-terminal monophosphates to mononucleotides 1. During transcription termination, XRN2 executes the "torpedo" mechanism, whereby cleavage at polyadenylation sites generates a 5'-end on the nascent transcript that recruits XRN2, enabling it to degrade the 3' fragment tethered to RNA polymerase II and thereby dislodging the polymerase 23. XRN2 also participates in R-loop resolution through functional cooperation with the HELQ helicase, where HELQ unwinds R-loops while XRN2 degrades the exposed RNA strand 4. At transcription termination regions, XRN2 functions downstream of the DDX21-METTL3 co-transcriptional m6A modification axis, promoting proper termination and genome stability 5. RNF8-mediated ubiquitylation facilitates XRN2 recruitment to R-loop-prone loci, preventing R-loop accumulation and genomic instability 6. Beyond transcription regulation, XRN2 functions in rRNA and snoRNA maturation 1, Polycomb-mediated heterochromatin silencing 7, and glioblastoma cell motility and invasion 8. Elevated XRN2 expression in glioblastomas correlates with poor patient survival, suggesting clinical relevance as a therapeutic target 8.