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Protein / target

Pro-neuregulin-1, membrane-bound isoform

Encoded byNRG1Q02297Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Antibody-tractable
Druggability
GO CC high conf
1
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Protein tyrosine kinase activator

Strongest disease association

Hypothyroidism

Via encoding gene NRG1 · Genetic evidence · score 0.86

Research activity

Emerging research

1 papers · latest 2025

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Direct ligand for ERBB3 and ERBB4 tyrosine kinase receptors.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Direct ligand for ERBB3 and ERBB4 tyrosine kinase receptors. Concomitantly recruits ERBB1 and ERBB2 coreceptors, resulting in ligand-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of the ERBB receptors. The multiple isoforms perform diverse functions such as inducing growth and differentiation of epithelial, glial, neuronal, and skeletal muscle cells; inducing expression of acetylcholine receptor in synaptic vesicles during the formation of the neuromuscular junction; stimulating lobuloalveolar budding and milk production in the mammary gland and inducing differentiation of mammary tumor cells; stimulating Schwann cell proliferation; implication in the development of the myocardium such as trabeculation of the developing heart. Isoform 10 may play a role in motor and sensory neuron development. Binds to ERBB4 (PubMed:10867024, PubMed:7902537). Binds to ERBB3 (PubMed:20682778). Acts as a ligand for integrins and binds (via EGF domain) to integrins ITGAV:ITGB3 or ITGA6:ITGB4. Its binding to integrins and subsequent ternary complex formation with integrins and ERRB3 are essential for NRG1-ERBB signaling. Induces the phosphorylation and activation of MAPK3/ERK1, MAPK1/ERK2 and AKT1 (PubMed:20682778). Ligand-dependent ERBB4 endocytosis is essential for the NRG1-mediated activation of these kinases in neurons (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Cell membraneSecretedNucleusMembrane
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (59)

Domains & features

Ig-like C2-typeEGF-like

Gene Ontology

  • Capical plasma membrane
  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Cglutamatergic synapse
  • Cmembrane
  • Cnucleus
  • Cplasma membrane
  • Fchemorepellent activity
  • Fcytokine activity
  • FErbB-3 class receptor binding
  • Fgrowth factor activity
  • Fintegrin binding

640 aa · 70 kDa · 11 isoforms

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Receptor tyrosine kinase signallingUniProt · GOSynaptic signallingGOCell proliferation & survivalGOImmune signallingGOTranscriptional regulationGO
View supporting evidence

Receptor tyrosine kinase signalling

  • ·Direct ligand for ERBB3 and ERBB4 tyrosine kinase receptors. Concomitantly recruits ERBB…
  • ·ErbB-3 class receptor binding
  • ·receptor tyrosine kinase binding
  • ·transmembrane receptor protein tyrosine kinase activator activity

Synaptic signalling

  • ·glutamatergic synapse
  • ·regulation of postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptor internalization

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·cell population proliferation
  • ·positive regulation of cell population proliferation

Immune signalling

  • ·cytokine activity
  • ·neural crest cell development

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·transcription coregulator activity
  • ·negative regulation of DNA-templated transcription

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene NRG1

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene NRG1that encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Adenocarcinoma of Lung
0.93Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.62

Thyroid gland carcinoma
0.89Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.58

Hypothyroidism
0.86Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.52

Thyroid Neoplasms
0.82Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.51

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
0.80Well supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.49

View evidence synthesis (5)
Adenocarcinoma of LungWell supported
0.93
agreement 0.831.00
Genetic52%Somatic mutation25%Pathway19%Literature3%RNA expression1%

Open Targets aggregate 0.62 · 5 independent evidence families

Thyroid gland carcinomaWell supported
0.89
agreement 0.781.00
Genetic70%Somatic mutation25%Literature6%

Open Targets aggregate 0.58 · 3 independent evidence families

HypothyroidismWell supported
0.86
agreement 0.721.00
Genetic100%Literature0%

Open Targets aggregate 0.52 · 2 independent evidence families

Thyroid NeoplasmsWell supported
0.82
agreement 0.690.96
Genetic93%Literature8%

Open Targets aggregate 0.51 · 2 independent evidence families

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungWell supported
0.80
agreement 0.680.91
Genetic64%Somatic mutation28%Literature8%

Open Targets aggregate 0.49 · 3 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Adenocarcinoma of Lung0.62
Neoplasms0.61
Thyroid gland carcinoma0.58
Hypothyroidism0.52
Thyroid Neoplasms0.51
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung0.49
Thyroid gland papillary carcinoma0.49
Gout0.47
Thyrotoxicosis0.46

Tractability

AntibodiesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (go cc high conf and uniprot loc med conf) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (3)
AB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMM

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

1 papers · to 2025

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Schram AM · The New England journal of medicine · 2025

Recent

Efficacy of Zenocutuzumab in <i>NRG1</i> Fusion-Positive Cancer.

Schram AM · The New England journal of medicine · 2025

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.