The ZytoLight ® SPEC NRG1 Dual Color Break Apart Probe is designed to detect translocations involving the chromosomal region 8p12 harboring the NRG1 (neuregulin 1, a.k.a. HGL or GGF) gene. NRG1 encodes a variety of growth factors that are ligands for tyrosine kinase receptors of the ERBB family. Rearrangements of the NRG1 gene have been detected in various tumors, including breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian adenocarcinoma. NRG1 translocation-positive breast tumors show a more advanced pathological stage compared with translocationnegative tumors. NRG1 rearrangements in lung adenocarcinomas of never smokers were found to result in the fusion of CD74 to the EGF-like domain of NRG1. Several in vitro studies indicate that NRG1 fusion proteins lead to an increased activation of ERBB receptors and are hence involved in tumor development. Due to the involvement of NRG1 isoforms in oncogenesis and their association with ERBB receptors, NRG1 constitutes a good candidate for potential therapeutic applications, e.g., in relation to lung tumor subtypes with so far no effective treatment. Hence, detection of NRG1 rearrangements by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization represents a useful tool for studying carcinogenesis of various solid tumors and may be of prognostic and therapeutic significance.
