The UPR drives gametogenesis via an unexpected response, coordinating translation and ER structure.

Endogenous UPR is essential for gamete production in budding yeast and uniquely supports ER integrity and proteostasis before meiosis.

• Why it matters: Understanding the natural functions of stress response pathways like the UPR is crucial because they differ from responses triggered by external stressors, revealing their roles in normal cell processes such as gametogenesis.
• What they did: The study examined the endogenous UPR during premeiotic stages in budding yeast, showing it is required for gamete formation and can be replaced by increasing ER chaperones, reducing translation, or impairing ER translocation machinery.
• The result: Findings suggest that physiological UPR activation maintains ER structure and proteostasis, enabling cells to enter meiosis, and highlight its unexpected role in cell-fate decisions.