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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2014 Oct 16;0:62–72. doi: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2014.10.003

Figure 4. Cardiac Mitophagy Regulation and Significance.

Figure 4

Mitophagy is essential during cardiomyocyte differentiation and for homeostatic mitochondrial turnover to maintain a healthy population of mitochondria. During cardiac stress such as ischemia/reperfusion, mitophagy functions to eliminate damaged mitochondria and reduce injury. Mitophagy is also critical for ischemic preconditioning. Circadian rhythm regulates basal levels of cardiac mitophagy. Nutrient overload, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and advanced age may compromise cardiac autophagy and mitophagy, disrupting this adaptive physiological response to stress.