The structural, functional, and diagnostic significance of NINJ1 in ferroptosis-related diseases.

Abstract

Ninjurin-1 (NINJ1) is the key executioner of inflammasome-induced plasma membrane rupture (PMR) in diverse forms of nonapoptotic regulated cell death (RCD), such as ferroptosis. Growing evidence suggests that NINJ1 protein oligomerization forms large, irregularly shaped pores in the plasma membrane, resembling a cookie-cutter mechanism. Hence, NINJ1 holds promise as a diagnostic and therapeutic strategy for ferroptosis-related diseases characterized by cytokine storms. Here, we review the function of NINJ1 based on its structure and summarize its potential applications in ferroptosis-related disease diagnosis.