DDIAS shields single-stranded DNA in mitosis and promotes vertebrate brain development.

DDIAS protects single-stranded DNA during mitosis and is essential for vertebrate brain development, especially in neural progenitor cells.

• Why it matters: Understanding how cells safeguard chromosome integrity during mitosis is crucial, as DNA damage can lead to developmental disorders and cancer. The mechanisms in mitosis are not fully understood, particularly in neural tissues.
• What they did: The study identified DDIAS as a mitosis-specific DNA damage response protein that interacts with the TOPBP1-CIP2A complex, and used human organoids and zebrafish models to explore its role in neural development.
• The result: Loss-of-function mutations in DDIAS cause neurodevelopmental disorders, and DDIAS’s protective function in neural progenitors is conserved across species, highlighting its importance in brain development and genome stability.