The exosome, one of the main cellular ribonucleases in eukaryotes, is a multi-subunit complex of deep evolutionary origin. This complex has been extensively characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisae. Given the good conservation of exosome subunit sequences, it was widely accepted that the yeast exosome provided a good model for other eukaryotic species. Recent analysis of higher eukaryotic exosomes reveals some differences challenging this idea. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Tomecki et al (2010) and Staals et al (2010) provide new insights into the composition and function of the human exosome, with implications for our understanding on the organization, function and localization of this complex in these cells.The exosome is responsible for many RNA processing and degradation reactions in the nucleus and cytoplasm (Lykke-Andersen et al, 2009). Yeast exosome is composed of a nine subunit ring structure to which Dis3 binds to form the exosome core. Additional co-factors associate to the exosome core in the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Of the 10 core subunits, only Dis3 possesses enzymatic activity with an RNB domain acting as exoribonuclease and a PIN domain is localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus in all eukaryotes. In human cells (left) the exosome ring interacts with the exoribonuclease RRP6 (hRRP6) and two different DIS3 paralogs: hDIS3 or hDIS3L1 (in a exclusive manner). Although hRRP6 is localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus, hDIS3 is mainly found in the nucleus (but excluded from nucleoli), and hDIS3L is strictly cytoplasmic. hDIS3 and hDIS3L1 are active exoribonucleases, but only the N-terminal PIN domain of hDIS3 is active (smile). In S. cerevisiae (yeast) cells (right), Dis3 protein (yDis3), which posses exoribonucleolytic and endonucleolytic activity, is present in the nucleus and cytoplasm and Rrp6 (yRrp6) is confined to the nucleus.