Glutathione participates in the regulation of mitophagy in yeast.

The term mitophagy refers to the selective removal of mitochondria by autophagy. This process is very active in lactate-grown yeast cells during nitrogen starvation. Among different antioxidants tested, only N-acetyl L-cysteine (NAC) prevents mitophagy in lactate-grown nitrogen-starved cells and its effect is not related to its scavenging properties, but rather to the fueling effect of the glutathione pool. In these conditions, glutathione regulates mitophagy independently of general autophagy.