Stieler, Kristin, Fischer, Nicole · PloS one · 2010 · DOI
This study examined how a virus called XMRV (which has been suspected in ME/CFS) interacts with human immune defense proteins called Apobec3 proteins. Researchers found that one specific immune protein, called A3G, is very effective at stopping XMRV from infecting cells and spreading. Interestingly, cancer cells that are easily infected by XMRV don't produce much of this protective A3G protein.
Understanding how immune proteins control XMRV infection is crucial if XMRV is indeed involved in ME/CFS, as it may explain why some cells become infected and why the virus might persist in certain tissues. The discovery that cancer cells permissive to XMRV lack protective A3G suggests potential mechanisms for viral tropism and persistence that could inform future research on XMRV's role in chronic illness.
This study does not prove that XMRV causes ME/CFS or that it is present in ME/CFS patients. It is an in vitro mechanistic study showing only that A3G can restrict XMRV infection in cell culture—it does not establish the virus's actual tissue distribution, prevalence, or pathogenic role in humans. The study cannot determine whether abnormal A3G expression occurs in ME/CFS 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
Stieler, Kristin & Fischer, Nicole (2010). Apobec 3G efficiently reduces infectivity of the human exogenous gammaretrovirus XMRV.. PloS one. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0011738
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-stieler-2010-apobec-efficiently,
author = {Stieler, Kristin and Fischer, Nicole},
title = {Apobec 3G efficiently reduces infectivity of the human exogenous gammaretrovirus XMRV.},
journal = {PloS one},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0011738},
note = {PubMed: 20668529},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/stieler-2010-apobec-efficiently},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/stieler-2010-apobec-efficiently
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