Paternal mitochondrial destruction after fertilization is mediated by a common endocytic and autophagic pathway in Drosophila.

Almost all animals contain mitochondria of maternal origin only, but the exact mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are still vague. We investigated the fate of Drosophila paternal mitochondria after fertilization. We demonstrate that the sperm mitochondrial derivative (MD) is rapidly eliminated in a stereotypical process dubbed paternal mitochondrial destruction (PMD).