In humans, mutations in the DNA-damage-response modulator MCPH1 are associated with defective neural development. Wang and colleagues show that mutations in mouse MCPH1 result in microcephaly through the delocalization of Chk1 from centrosomes, causing the uncoupling of mitosis and centrosome duplication, and resulting in spindle misorientation and a switch in the fate of neural stem cell daughters.
- Ralph Gruber
- Zhongwei Zhou
- Zhao-Qi Wang
