Neuregulin 1 or NRG1 is one of the four proteins of the neuregulin family which act on EGFR family of receptors. Neuregulin 1 is produced in numerous isoforms by alternative splicing, and this allows it to perform a wide variety of functions. Neuregulin 1-ErbB4 interactions are thought to play a role in the pathological mechanism of schizophrenia. The protein also has a putative ability to protect the brain from damage induced by stroke.
Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) was originally identified as a 44-kD glycoprotein that interacts with the NEU/ERBB2 receptor tyrosine kinase to increase its phosphorylation on tyrosine residues. It is known that an extraordinary variety of different isoforms are produced from the NRG1 gene by alternative splicing.