Mitophagy is a selective form of autophagy that removes damaged or redundant mitochondria to maintain mitochondrial quality and number. It has been identified in yeast, where it is mediated by Atg32, and in mammals, where it occurs during red blood cell differentiation, mediated by NIX. Mitophagy is regulated by parkin and PINK1, which are linked to Parkinson's disease. Autophagy involves the formation of autophagosomes, which engulf cellular components and fuse with lysosomes for degradation. Mitophagy is crucial for mitochondrial turnover, quality control, and adjusting mitochondrial numbers to meet metabolic demands. In yeast, Atg32 facilitates mitophagy by binding to Atg8, while in mammals, NIX binds to LC3 and GABARAP to recruit mitochondria into autophagosomes. Parkin and PINK1 work together to detect and remove damaged mitochondria. PINK1 stabilizes on damaged mitochondria, recruiting parkin, which ubiquitinates mitochondrial proteins, leading to their degradation. Defects in mitophagy are associated with Parkinson's disease, highlighting its importance in mitochondrial quality control and disease pathology.Mitophagy is a selective form of autophagy that removes damaged or redundant mitochondria to maintain mitochondrial quality and number. It has been identified in yeast, where it is mediated by Atg32, and in mammals, where it occurs during red blood cell differentiation, mediated by NIX. Mitophagy is regulated by parkin and PINK1, which are linked to Parkinson's disease. Autophagy involves the formation of autophagosomes, which engulf cellular components and fuse with lysosomes for degradation. Mitophagy is crucial for mitochondrial turnover, quality control, and adjusting mitochondrial numbers to meet metabolic demands. In yeast, Atg32 facilitates mitophagy by binding to Atg8, while in mammals, NIX binds to LC3 and GABARAP to recruit mitochondria into autophagosomes. Parkin and PINK1 work together to detect and remove damaged mitochondria. PINK1 stabilizes on damaged mitochondria, recruiting parkin, which ubiquitinates mitochondrial proteins, leading to their degradation. Defects in mitophagy are associated with Parkinson's disease, highlighting its importance in mitochondrial quality control and disease pathology.