Johnston, Samantha, Staines, Donald, Klein, Anne et al. · BMC medical genetics · 2016 · DOI
Researchers looked at specific genes that control how nerves and muscles communicate in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. They found that people with ME/CFS were more likely to carry a particular genetic variation in a gene called ADRA1A, which is involved in how the body responds to stress. This discovery suggests that differences in how the nervous system is wired genetically may play a role in ME/CFS.
This is the first genetic study to identify a potential association between ADRA1A and ME/CFS, targeting genes involved in neurological and autonomic function—key systems affected in the disease. Understanding genetic variations in stress-response receptors could lead to better explanations for why some people develop ME/CFS and may eventually guide treatment development targeting these pathways.
This study does not prove that ADRA1A genetic variants cause ME/CFS; it only shows an association in this particular population. The findings require replication in larger, independent cohorts before clinical significance can be established. The study also does not explain how these genetic differences actually contribute to ME/CFS symptoms or whether the genetic variation is truly causal or simply correlated with disease.
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
Johnston, Samantha, Staines, Donald, Klein, Anne, & Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya (2016). A targeted genome association study examining transient receptor potential ion channels, acetylcholine receptors, and adrenergic receptors in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.. BMC medical genetics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12881-016-0342-y
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-johnston-2016-targeted-genome,
author = {Johnston, Samantha and Staines, Donald and Klein, Anne and Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya},
title = {A targeted genome association study examining transient receptor potential ion channels, acetylcholine receptors, and adrenergic receptors in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.},
journal = {BMC medical genetics},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.1186/s12881-016-0342-y},
note = {PubMed: 27835969},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/johnston-2016-targeted-genome},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/johnston-2016-targeted-genome
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