Propelling COPII vesicle biogenesis at the endoplasmic reticulum.

COPII vesicle biogenesis at the endoplasmic reticulum requires activation of the Sar1 GTPase, which recruits the COP II coat protein complex to drive membrane budding. In this issue of Structure, Joiner and Fromme (2021) investigate the enigmatic structural basis for Sar1 activation by the Sec12 guanine nucleotide exchange factor.