Fang, Hong, Xie, Qian, Boneva, Roumiana et al. · Pharmacogenomics · 2006 · DOI
Researchers studied the genes that are turned on or off differently in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy controls. They looked at blood samples from 167 people and used computer analysis to identify 24 key genes and 11 biological pathways that appear to be involved in ME/CFS. These genes are involved in immune function, cell communication, and nerve activity—areas that scientists already suspect play a role in the illness.
This study provides molecular-level evidence that ME/CFS involves dysregulated gene expression in multiple biological systems, particularly immune and neurological pathways. Identifying specific genes and pathways offers potential biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic targets for future treatment development, moving the field toward precision medicine approaches for ME/CFS.
This study does not establish that the identified genes or pathways cause ME/CFS—only that their expression differs between groups. It does not determine whether observed gene expression changes are primary drivers of disease or secondary consequences of illness. The findings require replication in independent cohorts and functional validation before clinical application.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Fang, Hong, Xie, Qian, Boneva, Roumiana, Fostel, Jennifer, Perkins, Roger, & Tong, Weida (2006). Gene expression profile exploration of a large dataset on chronic fatigue syndrome.. Pharmacogenomics. https://doi.org/10.2217/14622416.7.3.429
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-fang-2006-gene-expression,
author = {Fang, Hong and Xie, Qian and Boneva, Roumiana and Fostel, Jennifer and Perkins, Roger and Tong, Weida},
title = {Gene expression profile exploration of a large dataset on chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Pharmacogenomics},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.2217/14622416.7.3.429},
note = {PubMed: 16610953},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fang-2006-gene-expression},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fang-2006-gene-expression
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