Parkin/PARK2 is a cytosolic enzyme which gets recruited to cellular mitochondria damaged through depolarization, ROS or unfolded proteins accumulation, and exert protective effects by inducing mitophagy (mitochondrial autophagy). Parkin induces mitophagy by promoting mitofission (mitochondrial division) and by ubiquitinating mitochondrial proteins to facilitate their recognition/recruitment to the autophagosomal surface.
