Investigating the regulation of mitophagy in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

When stressed, yeast cells react by turning on signalling pathways to selectively degrade mitochondria. This is an important process for cells to survive. If this process does not function correctly, in humans, this could lead to diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and cancer. This thesis investigated the degradation of mitochondria in yeast cells to better understand this process. Two proteins were shown to influence this pathway, likely by affecting the cell wall. The correct positioning of mitochondria near the cell wall was also shown to influence this degradation process.