NRG1, variants, traits, and what the research shows

NRG1 - what this gene does

Variants across NRG1 have been identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS - research that scans many people's genomes to find variants statistically linked to a trait) in connection with a broad set of trait categories, including cancer, rare diseases, sleep, neurological conditions, metabolic traits, kidney function, and liver-related phenotypes. Because the trait coverage is wide and the available per-variant detail is limited, what follows describes the pattern of associations visible in the current data rather than a mechanistic account of how the gene operates.

Key takeaways

• At least three independent NRG1 variants carry cancer-trait associations, making cancer the most recurrently represented category in the available data.
• Other variants in the same gene are linked to rare diseases, sleep-related traits, and neurological conditions.
• Additional associations span metabolic traits, kidney function, and liver-related phenotypes.
• 144 variants have been catalogued at this locus; 21 carry prior research context.
• All associations are population-level statistical signals - not personal risk predictions for any individual.

Notable variants

All of the highest-priority variants on file sit at magnitude 4.50. Cancer associations appear at three independent signals: rs11780822, rs2439312, and rs7823498. Rare disease signals are present at rs16879552 and rs3924999. Single-variant signals at this same magnitude tier cover neurological traits (rs552524684), sleep (rs10097555), metabolic traits (rs4529426), and kidney function (rs7005606). A liver-related association appears at rs13257518 at a lower magnitude of 2.80. Several additional high-magnitude variants - including rs3735776, rs536771730, rs56129386, rs73234132, rs75468268, and rs755186024 - currently carry no documented trait annotation.

Trait associations

Cancer is the most frequently appearing trait category, represented by three separate variants - rs11780822, rs2439312, and rs7823498 - which may indicate a more robust signal through independent replication, though the specific cancer subtypes are not specified in the available data. Rare disease associations appear at two variants, rs16879552 and rs3924999, each catalogued at the highest magnitude tier. Single-variant associations at the same tier cover sleep (rs10097555), neurological traits (rs552524684), metabolic traits (rs4529426), and kidney function (rs7005606). The liver-related variant rs13257518 appears at a lower evidence magnitude.

Evidence quality

The strongest signals cluster at magnitude 4.50 and span multiple trait domains; the cancer signal is the most internally replicated, appearing across three independent variants. However, specific sample sizes, effect sizes such as odds ratios or beta coefficients, and full cohort replication details are not available in the current dataset, which limits confidence in cross-variant comparisons. Many of the 144 catalogued variants carry no trait annotation at all, and the three variants with prior published summaries - rs10088648, rs11780822, and rs112040172 - do not have summary text available for review here. The most important caveat is that trait specificity (for example, which cancer subtype, or which neurological condition) is absent from the available data, meaning the clinical relevance of individual associations cannot be fully assessed.

What this is NOT

Every association described on this page is a population-level statistical signal derived from GWAS or similar research; carrying a given variant does not predict any individual's health trajectory. Nothing here constitutes medical advice, a clinical diagnosis, or a recommendation for any action.