Felger, J C, Cole, S W, Pace, T W W et al. · Psychological medicine · 2012 · DOI
When patients received interferon-alpha treatment (used for hepatitis C and cancer), researchers looked at immune cell genes to understand why the treatment causes depression and fatigue. They found that one gene called OAS2, previously linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, was especially active in patients who developed depression and fatigue during treatment. This suggests that immune system changes may directly contribute to these symptoms.
This study identifies OAS2 as a potential molecular link between immune activation and both depression and fatigue—symptoms central to ME/CFS. By demonstrating that immune cytokine signaling alters gene expression patterns associated with these symptoms, the research supports the biological plausibility of immune mechanisms in ME/CFS and provides candidate genes for future investigation.
This study does not prove that OAS2 elevation causes depression and fatigue; it only shows correlation. The findings are from IFN-α-induced symptoms in hepatitis C patients, not ME/CFS patients, so whether the same mechanisms drive ME/CFS remains unknown. The small sample and 12-week timeframe do not establish whether these gene changes persist or are specific to IFN-α-induced illness.
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
Felger, J C, Cole, S W, Pace, T W W, Hu, F, Woolwine, B J, Doho, G H, et al. (2012). Molecular signatures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells during chronic interferon-α treatment: relationship with depression and fatigue.. Psychological medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291711002868
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-felger-2012-molecular-signatures,
author = {Felger, J C and Cole, S W and Pace, T W W and Hu, F and Woolwine, B J and Doho, G H and Raison, C L and Miller, A H},
title = {Molecular signatures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells during chronic interferon-α treatment: relationship with depression and fatigue.},
journal = {Psychological medicine},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1017/S0033291711002868},
note = {PubMed: 22152193},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/felger-2012-molecular-signatures},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/felger-2012-molecular-signatures
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