DNA damage checkpoint activation impairs chromatin homeostasis and promotes mitotic catastrophe during aging.

Genome instability is a hallmark of aging and contributes to age-related disorders such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease. The accumulation of DNA damage during aging has been linked to altered cell cycle dynamics and the failure of cell cycle checkpoints. Here, we use single cell imaging to study the consequences of increased genomic instability during aging in budding yeast and identify striking age-associated genome missegregation events.