Resistance to targeted cancer therapies often arises from drug-tolerant cells, which survive treatment by entering a nonproliferative state. Over time, these cells can acquire mutations that contribut...

Transcription inhibitors also disrupt nuclear export. Here, Williams et al. reveal that mRNA export factors sense transcription inhibition and adapt by storing mature export-competent mRNA in nuclear speckles. This enables rapid release when transcription resumes and ensures retention of cellular identity and viability during a transient global transcription insult.