While some studies suggest that BNIP3-mediated mitophagy can induce cell death in specific contexts (e.g., glioma cells treated with ceramides), others have shown a protective role for BNIP3-mediated mitophagy (e.g., SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells treated with TNF-α) 32. Here, BNIP3 is linked to central nervous system cancer.