Mitophagy, Diseases, and Aging

Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to age-associated disease phenotypes and aging. With age, mitochondria show change in morphology, mutation and change in mtDNA, increase in oxidative stress, epigenetic change in mitochondrial proteins, and defect in mitochondrial quality control leading to accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria. Mitophagy, a specified form of autophagy, regulates the turnover of damaged and dysfunctional mitochondria to govern energy homeostasis. The age-dependent impairment of mitophagy inhibits removal of superfluous or dysfunctional mitochondria as well as weakens the biogenesis of mitochondria resulting in the aggregation of reactive mitochondrial mass and consequently leads to the deterioration of cellular function. Novel therapeutic strategies have been articulated for maintaining healthy mitophagy level which could delay aging and extend health span. This chapter provides an updated mechanistic overview of mitophagy pathways and discusses the effect of mitophagy in aging.