A cell cycle checkpoint for the endoplasmic reticulum

The generation of new cells is one of the most fundamental aspects of cell biology. Proper regulation of the cell cycle is critical for human health, as underscored by many diseases associated with errors in cell cycle regulation, including both cancer and hereditary diseases. A large body of work has identified regulatory mechanisms and checkpoints that ensure accurate and timely replication and segregation of chromosomal DNA. However, few studies have evaluated the extent to which similar checkpoints exist for the division of cytoplasmic components, including organelles. Such checkpoint mechanisms might be crucial for compartments that cannot be generated de novo, such as the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this review, we highlight recent work in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae that led to the discovery of such a checkpoint that ensures that cells inherit functional ER into the daughter cell.