Fig. 4.

Role of mitophagy in cell differentiation. ATG5, NIX, and KRAB-ZFPs and cofactor KAP1-induced elimination of mitochondria govern the differentiation of reticulocytes. The BNIP3L/NIX, BNIP3, PARK2 and p62/SQSTM1 mediated mitochondrial clearance regulates eye lens differentiation, whereas DNM1L/DRP1-induced mitophagy could activate the myogenic differentiation. Hypoxia-mediated activation of BNIP3L-NIX and mitochondrial translocation of p53 leads to mitophagy-dependent neurogenic differentiation. NIX-dependent mitophagy induces the M1 polarization of macrophages