Therefore, the present study employs Beclin1+/− mice, Fundc1 knockout mice and Fundc1 transgenic mice, combined with starvation and acute MI mouse models, to dissect the role of general autophagy and selective mitophagy in cardiac function and after acute MI, thus to expand our understanding of autophagy/mitophagy and to provide potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of acute MI and ischaemia‐related cardiac diseases. Here, BECN1 is linked to myocardial infarction.