Consistent with the finding that mitophagy induced by BNIP3 requires DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission in myocytes18, the results of this study underscore the importance of DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission and subsequent BNIP3-related mitophagy for hypoxia-surviving HCC cells. Here, BNIP3 is linked to hepatocellular carcinoma.