Mitochondria are important organelles that supply energy to cells and have their own mitochondrial DNA. Interestingly, mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother (maternal inheritance) in many organisms. Using nematode C. elegans as a model system, we have found that selective degradation of paternal mitochondria derived from sperm through autophagy is necessary for maternal inheritance and that ALLO-1 and IKKE-1 are key players in this process.
In this study, our live imaging analysis reveals that ALLO-1 rapidly localizes to the paternal mitochondria after fertilization (within 30 sec). We also suggest the mechanism how ALLO-1 and IKKE-1 initiate local autophagosome formation on cargos. Our results also suggest that this mechanism is similar to that of autophagyy of dysfunctional mitochondria (mitophagy) in human cells. 
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45863-2

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