Too close not to encyst: Polycystic kidney disease and interorganellar contact sites

Polycystic kidney disease is a disorder of increased mitochondria-ER communication (Kuo et al., in 7 May 2019 issue). Mitofusin 2 (MFN2) tethers mitochondria to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the 7 May 2019 issue of Science Signaling, Kuo et al. report that polycystin 2 (PC2), encoded by a gene mutated in type 2 autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), contributes to cystogenesis by affecting MFN2, thus extending the role of mitochondria-ER contact sites to a common genetic disorder.