Sakakibara, Shuhei, Sakakibara, Kaori, Tosato, Giovanna · Journal of virology · 2011 · DOI
This study examined how inflammation in the body can affect a virus called XMRV. Researchers found that when inflammatory signals (like TNF-α) are activated in cells, they can turn up the volume on XMRV production. This suggests that conditions causing inflammation or certain viral infections might help XMRV spread in the body.
Understanding how inflammation amplifies XMRV replication is critical for ME/CFS research, as it provides a potential mechanistic link between immune activation and viral persistence. If XMRV is causally involved in ME/CFS, this pathway could explain why inflammatory states and concurrent infections worsen symptoms in some patients.
This in vitro cell study does not prove that XMRV causes ME/CFS or that inflammation-driven viral replication occurs in ME/CFS patients' bodies. The study also does not establish whether NF-κB activation is sufficient to cause disease or whether blocking this pathway would improve clinical outcomes. Correlation between NF-κB activation and XMRV levels in cells does not prove causation in living patients.
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
Sakakibara, Shuhei, Sakakibara, Kaori, & Tosato, Giovanna (2011). NF-kappaB activation stimulates transcription and replication of retrovirus XMRV in human B-lineage and prostate carcinoma cells.. Journal of virology. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02333-10
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sakakibara-2011-kappab-activation,
author = {Sakakibara, Shuhei and Sakakibara, Kaori and Tosato, Giovanna},
title = {NF-kappaB activation stimulates transcription and replication of retrovirus XMRV in human B-lineage and prostate carcinoma cells.},
journal = {Journal of virology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1128/JVI.02333-10},
note = {PubMed: 21270144},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sakakibara-2011-kappab-activation},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sakakibara-2011-kappab-activation
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