AMPK can also activateautophagy in an mTOR-independent manner, such as by phosphorylatingautophagy-associated proteins in ULK1 and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinasecatalytic subunit type 3/vacuolar protein sorting 34 complex, or indirectly byregulating autophagy-associated genes downstream of transcription factors [52].The recent study has confirmed that AMPKα activation promotesmoderate mitophagy and restores mitochondrial function to improve HF. This evidence concerns the gene PRKAB1 and hydrops fetalis.