Researchers have uncovered a key role for the CHAMP1 complex — made up of CHAMP1, POGZ, and HP1α — in building and maintaining heterochromatin (tightly packed DNA regions) at centromeres, telomeres, and other specialized chromosomal sites. The complex recruits a DNA-methylating enzyme (SETDB1) and is essential for repairing double-strand DNA breaks in these regions via a high-fidelity repair pathway. Critically, blood cells from people with CHAMP1 syndrome showed both impaired heterochromatin organization and faulty DNA repair, suggesting that defective DNA repair may be a root cause of this inherited neurological disorder. Because POGZ is a core member of this complex, these findings are directly relevant to understanding White-Sutton syndrome.