Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Nguyen, Chinh Bkrong, Ludviksen, Judith Anita et al. · Journal of translational medicine · 2017 · DOI
This study tested whether a protein called TGF-β, which helps regulate immune and stress responses, was elevated in adolescents with ME/CFS. Researchers compared blood levels of TGF-β in 120 young ME/CFS patients to 68 healthy controls and found the protein levels were actually the same in both groups. However, they discovered that in ME/CFS patients, TGF-β levels were connected to stress hormones and fatigue severity, suggesting it may play a role in how the illness affects the body even if it's not simply 'too high.'
This study addresses a key gap by testing the most consistent cytokine finding from decades of ME/CFS research. The discovery that TGF-β relates to neuroendocrine dysfunction and fatigue may help explain how immune-endocrine interactions contribute to ME/CFS symptoms, potentially opening new avenues for understanding disease mechanisms and monitoring response to treatment.
This study does not prove that TGF-β causes ME/CFS, nor does it establish whether the observed associations are primary features of the disease or secondary responses to fatigue and activity limitation. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality, and the correlation between TGF-β and hormonal markers does not identify TGF-β as a driver of neuroendocrine dysfunction.
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
Wyller, Vegard Bruun, Nguyen, Chinh Bkrong, Ludviksen, Judith Anita, & Mollnes, Tom Eirik (2017). Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-017-1350-1
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wyller-2017-transforming-growth,
author = {Wyller, Vegard Bruun and Nguyen, Chinh Bkrong and Ludviksen, Judith Anita and Mollnes, Tom Eirik},
title = {Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of translational medicine},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1186/s12967-017-1350-1},
note = {PubMed: 29202780},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wyller-2017-transforming-growth},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wyller-2017-transforming-growth
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