Sorensen, Bristol, Jones, James F, Vernon, Suzanne D et al. · Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2009 · DOI
After exercise, people with ME/CFS show higher levels of certain immune molecules (particularly C4a) that may contribute to their post-exercise symptoms. This study looked at which genes were turned on or off in immune cells after exercise and found that people with ME/CFS activated different immune pathways than healthy people—specifically, a pathway called the lectin pathway responded differently. This suggests their immune system may be producing excess inflammatory signals after physical activity.
This study provides molecular evidence that postexertional malaise in ME/CFS may stem from dysregulated immune activation after exercise, specifically in the complement system. Understanding the genes and pathways involved could eventually lead to targeted therapies to prevent or reduce post-exercise symptom flares, a hallmark feature of the condition.
This study does not prove that MASP2 overexpression causes postexertional malaise—only that it correlates with C4a elevation in CFS patients. It does not establish whether the transcriptional differences are primary defects, secondary responses to disease, or triggered specifically by exercise versus other stressors. The small sample size (n=8) limits generalizability.
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
Sorensen, Bristol, Jones, James F, Vernon, Suzanne D, & Rajeevan, Mangalathu S (2009). Transcriptional control of complement activation in an exercise model of chronic fatigue syndrome.. Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.). https://doi.org/10.2119/molmed.2008.00098
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sorensen-2009-transcriptional-control,
author = {Sorensen, Bristol and Jones, James F and Vernon, Suzanne D and Rajeevan, Mangalathu S},
title = {Transcriptional control of complement activation in an exercise model of chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.)},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.2119/molmed.2008.00098},
note = {PubMed: 19015737},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sorensen-2009-transcriptional-control},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sorensen-2009-transcriptional-control
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