You shall not pass

Communication between organelles and the nucleus is crucial for cellular processes, yet it remains almost entirely enigmatic. In a new study published in EMBO Reports, Shotaro Otsuka and his PhD student Helena Bragulat-Teixidor reveal the morphology of junctions between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the nucleus. These junctions have a distinctive hourglass shape, which differentiates them from junctions within the ER, implying a putative gatekeeper function between the ER and the nucleus.