NINJ1 ubiquitination by TRIM72 protects against plasma membrane rupture and AKI-CKD progression

) in a folic acid-induced AKI-CKD model, together with in vitro RTEC and immune cell assays, we delineated the TRIM72-NINJ1-HMGB1 signaling axis. We found that TRIM72 functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets NINJ1 at lysine 111 for proteasomal degradation, thereby restraining NINJ1-mediated PMR. Loss of TRIM72 stabilized NINJ1, exacerbated RTEC membrane rupture, and amplified the release of HMGB1. The resulting HMGB1 release propagated inflammation by promoting both macrophage-myofibroblast transition (MMT) and neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, two major drivers of renal fibrosis. Consistently, tubule-specific deletion of either Ninj1 or Hmgb1 markedly attenuated the progression from AKI to CKD. Together, these findings establish the TRIM72-NINJ1-HMGB1 cascade as a central molecular pathway dictating the fate of injured RTECs and highlight TRIM72 as a promising therapeutic target for halting the transition from AKI to CKD.