YIPF4 is a five-pass transmembrane Golgi-resident protein that plays dual roles in organelle structure maintenance and selective autophagy. Primarily, YIPF4 localizes to the cis-Golgi apparatus where it forms a heterodimeric complex with YIPF3, essential for maintaining Golgi morphology 1. Knockdown of YIPF4 induces Golgi fragmentation, demonstrating its critical role in organellar integrity 12. Mechanistically, YIPF4 functions as a core component of the first mammalian Golgiphagy receptor 34. The YIPF3-YIPF4 heterodimer directly interacts with LC3B, GABARAP, and GABARAPL1 (mammalian Atg8-family proteins) through a LIR motif in YIPF3, facilitating selective autophagosomal degradation of the Golgi apparatus 34. YIPF4 specifically governs complex stability, and this interaction is phosphorylation-regulated 4. Clinically, YIPF4 emerges as a disease-relevant biomarker. It serves as a stage-specific transcriptional marker in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remission and correlates with improved patient outcomes 5. YIPF4 is identified as a fibrosis-related prognostic gene in hepatocellular carcinoma, promoting HCC cell proliferation and migration 6. Additionally, YIPF4 is incorporated into a six-mRNA prognostic signature for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma survival prediction 7, suggesting broader oncologic relevance.