Ferritinophagy

Ferritinophagy is a selective form of autophagy in which the iron-storage protein ferritin is degraded, releasing its stored iron back into the cell’s labile (freely available) iron pool. This process is mediated by the cargo receptor NCOA4, which binds ferritin and delivers it to autophagosomes for lysosomal breakdown. Because the iron released by ferritinophagy can fuel iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, ferritinophagy is a key upstream trigger of ferroptosis, and mechanisms that block ferritinophagy can protect cells from this form of cell death.