Structure, mechanism and clinical relevance of NRG1 fusions in cancer

NRG1 gene fusions have been identified in patients with various solid tumors. Such patients have aggressive tumors and respond poorly to currently available treatments. There are many gene partners described for NRG1 fusions, and the structures and roles of the chimeric proteins are not always correctly understood. Here, we gather information on 665 reported patients with a total of 115 different known gene partners, and discuss structural elements supposed to play important roles in the biology of NRG1 fusions in cancer. This gives a better understanding of the biology of NRG1 fusions, and will help in the development of new therapeutic approaches. Our methodology described in this review can also be used for the study of other genes with disease-related fusions.