Moreover, the proposed role of IF1 in promoting mitophagy also goes in the direction of a protective mechanism of the inhibitor protein, since the autophagic pathways are important for the maintenance of functional neurons, particularly in the context of mitochondrial and degenerative diseases (Moreira et al., 2010; Granatiero et al., 2016). Here, ATP5IF1 is linked to neurodegenerative disease.