Ueland, Marthe, Hajdarevic, Riad, Mella, Olav et al. · Translational psychiatry · 2022 · DOI
Researchers wanted to confirm whether certain genetic changes in a gene called TRA (involved in immune system function) were linked to ME/CFS, based on earlier findings. They tested this in large groups of people from Norway and the UK, but found that the genetic changes previously reported were not reliably associated with ME/CFS. While they found some other genetic variations that showed weak signals of association, none were strong enough to be considered genuine findings.
This study is important because it demonstrates the challenges in identifying genetic risk factors for ME/CFS and highlights the need for robust replication of genetic findings before drawing conclusions. Understanding genetic components of ME/CFS could eventually help with diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment development, making careful validation essential for the field.
This study does not prove that the TRA locus has no role in ME/CFS—it only shows that these specific genetic variants are not reliably associated in these populations. Negative replication studies do not exclude other variants in the region or other genes from contributing to disease risk. The study also cannot determine causation or explain the biological mechanisms of ME/CFS.
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
Ueland, Marthe, Hajdarevic, Riad, Mella, Olav, Strand, Elin B, Sosa, Daisy D, Saugstad, Ola D, et al. (2022). No replication of previously reported association with genetic variants in the T cell receptor alpha (TRA) locus for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).. Translational psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-022-02046-1
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ueland-2022-replication-previously,
author = {Ueland, Marthe and Hajdarevic, Riad and Mella, Olav and Strand, Elin B and Sosa, Daisy D and Saugstad, Ola D and Fluge, Øystein and Lie, Benedicte A and Viken, Marte K},
title = {No replication of previously reported association with genetic variants in the T cell receptor alpha (TRA) locus for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).},
journal = {Translational psychiatry},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.1038/s41398-022-02046-1},
note = {PubMed: 35821115},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ueland-2022-replication-previously},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ueland-2022-replication-previously
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.