Organelle cross-talk Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–associated degradation (ERAD) is a quality control mechanism that allows for targeted degradation of proteins in the ER. Zhou et al. found that a particular protein complex in ERAD, Sel1L-Hrd1, regulates the dynamics of another organelle, the mitochondrion, by altering ER-mitochondria contacts. Three-dimensional high-resolution imaging in brown adipocytes from cold-challenged mice revealed that defective ERAD led to the formation of enlarged and abnormally shaped mitochondria with perforating ER tubules. The authors explored the consequences of ERAD deficiency on mitochondrial function and thermogenesis, which provides insights into ERADmediated ER-mitochondrial cross-talk and advances our understanding of the physiological importance of interorganelle contact. Science , this issue p. 54