This holds true in Arabidopsis plants deficient for the expression of master regulators of the DNA damage response (DDR), ATM (Ataxia‐telangiectasia‐mutated) and ATR (Ataxia‐telangiectasia‐mutated and Rad3‐related), suggesting that independent and alternative surveillance processes exist to maintain integrity in genic regions. Here, ATM is linked to cerebellar ataxia.