Prohibitins, Phb1 and Phb2, function as Atg8 receptors to support yeast mitophagy and also play a negative regulatory role in Atg32 processing

The prohibitins Phb1 and Phb2 assemble at the mitochondrial inner membrane to form a multi-dimeric complex. These scaffold proteins are highly conserved in eukaryotic cells, from yeast to mammals, and have been implicated in a variety of mitochondrial functions including aging, proliferation, and degenerative and metabolic diseases. In mammals, PHB2 regulates PINK1-PRKN mediated mitophagy by interacting with lipidated MAP1LC3B/LC3B. Despite their high conservation, prohibitins have not been linked to mitophagy in budding yeasts. In this study, we demonstrate that both Phb1 and Phb2 are required to sustain mitophagy in