Yang, Xingzhe, Li, Feng, Ma, Jie et al. · Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN · 2021 · DOI
This review examines how tiny molecules called miRNAs (and related molecules like lncRNAs and circRNAs) may control genes involved in fatigue. These molecules work together in a network to influence energy production, immune function, and brain signaling—all key factors in chronic fatigue. The authors argue that understanding this genetic control network could help explain why people develop fatigue and potentially lead to better ways to diagnose and treat it.
For ME/CFS patients and researchers, this review highlights promising molecular pathways—particularly those involving energy metabolism and immune dysregulation—that could explain fatigue at the genetic level. Understanding the ceRNA regulatory network may eventually enable development of biomarkers for diagnosis and identification of new therapeutic targets, though substantial additional research is needed.
This review does not present new experimental data or clinical evidence; it is a theoretical synthesis of existing literature. It does not prove that the ceRNA network causes fatigue in humans—it proposes a mechanistic hypothesis that requires empirical validation through clinical and laboratory studies. The work cannot establish which molecular pathways are actually dysregulated in ME/CFS patients specifically.
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 →
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Primary citation
Yang, Xingzhe, Li, Feng, Ma, Jie, Liu, Yan, Wang, Xuejiao, Wang, Ruochong, et al. (2021). Study on the Relationship between the miRNA-centered ceRNA Regulatory Network and Fatigue.. Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-021-01845-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-yang-2021-study-relationship,
author = {Yang, Xingzhe and Li, Feng and Ma, Jie and Liu, Yan and Wang, Xuejiao and Wang, Ruochong and Zhang, Yifei and Zhang, Wei and He, Qingyun and Song, Dandan and Yu, Jiaojiao},
title = {Study on the Relationship between the miRNA-centered ceRNA Regulatory Network and Fatigue.},
journal = {Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1007/s12031-021-01845-3},
note = {PubMed: 33993410},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yang-2021-study-relationship},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/yang-2021-study-relationship
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