Required for centrosome duplication and formation and function of the mitotic spindle. Essential for the development of the cerebral cortex. May regulate the production of neurons by controlling the orientation of the mitotic spindle during division of cortical neuronal progenitors of the proliferative ventricular zone of the brain. Orientation of the division plane perpendicular to the layers of the cortex gives rise to two proliferative neuronal progenitors whereas parallel orientation of the division plane yields one proliferative neuronal progenitor and a post-mitotic neuron. A premature shift towards a neuronal fate within the progenitor population may result in an overall reduction in the final number of neurons and an increase in the number of neurons in the deeper layers of the cortex. Interacts with dynactin and PCM1 (By similarity). Self-associates. Interacts with CENPF, LIS1, CNTRL, dynein, tubulin gamma, PAFAH1B1, PCNT, SLMAP and TCP1. Interacts with ZNF365 (By similarity). Localizes to the interphase and S phase centrosome. During mitosis, partially associated with the mitotic spindle. Concentrates at the plus ends of microtubules coincident with kinetochores in metaphase and anaphase in a CENPF-dependent manner. Also localizes to the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. Highly expressed in ovary. Also expressed in brain, heart, kidney, large intestine, liver, lung, small intestine and testis. Widely expressed in the developing brain, particularly in the neural progenitor cells of ventricular zone and the intermediate zone of the cerebral cortex. Expression peaks at 11 dpc and declines at 15 dpc and 17 dpc. After completion of neuronal migration expression is reduced in the cortex. Phosphorylated in mitosis (By similarity). Phosphorylation at Thr-246 is essential for the G2/M transition. Homozygous loss of this protein results in microcephaly that preferentially affects the cerebral cortex. Affected animals have a smaller cortex with reduced superficial cortical layers, although cortical lamination is mostly preserved. The smaller cortex size seems to reflect both reduced progenitor cell division and altered specification of cell fates following progenitor cell division. Belongs to the nudE family.