 This process serves as an important control to stop the proliferation of cells with DNA damage prior to mitotic division.The role of hTIM in the intra-S checkpoint is less clear at the molecular level; however, down-regulation of hTIM leads to an increase in the rate of generation of replication forks – even in the presence of DNA damage and other regulatory responses.The "Timeless" gene has also been found to influence the development of disease in humans.