Mitophagy is a mitochondrial quality control mechanism where damaged and surplus mitochondria are removed by macroautophagy. Mitophagy is associated with various physiological and pathological events such as mitochondrial clearance during terminal differentiation of reticulocytes. There are two different mammalian macroautophagy pathways: the Atg5-dependent conventional pathway and an Atg5-independent alternative pathway; the latter is involved in the erythrocyte mitophagy.