Over-Representation of Torque Teno Mini Virus 9 in a Subgroup of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Abstract:

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic disorder classified by the WHO as postviral fatigue syndrome (ICD-11 8E49 code). Diagnosing ME/CFS, often overlapping with fibromyalgia (FM), is challenging due to nonspecific symptoms and lack of biomarkers. The etiology of ME/CFS and FM is poorly understood, but evidence suggests viral infections play a critical role. This study employs microarray technology to quantitate viral RNA levels in immune cells from ME/CFS, FM, or co-diagnosed cases, and healthy controls.

The results show significant overexpression of the Torque Teno Mini Virus 9 (TTMV9) in a subgroup of ME/CFS patients which correlate with abnormal HERV and immunological profiles. Increased levels of TTMV9 transcripts accurately discriminate this subgroup of ME/CFS patients from the other study groups, showcasing its potential as biomarker for patient stratification and the need for further research into its role in the disease. Validation of the findings seems granted in extended cohorts by continuation studies.

Source: Giménez-Orenga K, Martín-Martínez E, Oltra E. Over-Representation of Torque Teno Mini Virus 9 in a Subgroup of Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Pilot Study. Pathogens. 2024 Sep 1;13(9):751. doi: 10.3390/pathogens13090751. PMID: 39338942; PMCID: PMC11435283. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11435283/ (Full text)

Meta analysis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome through integration of clinical, gene expression, SNP and proteomic data

Abstract:

We start by constructing gene-gene association networks based on about 300 genes whose expression values vary between the groups of CFS patients (plus control). Connected components (modules) from these networks are further inspected for their predictive ability for symptom severity, genotypes of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) known to be associated with symptom severity, and intensity of the ten most discriminative protein features. We use two different network construction methods and choose the common genes identified in both for added validation. Our analysis identified eleven genes which may play important roles in certain aspects of CFS or related symptoms. In particular, the gene WASF3 (aka WAVE3) possibly regulates brain cytokines involved in the mechanism of fatigue through the p38 MAPK regulatory pathway.

 

Source: Pihur V, Datta S, Datta S. Meta analysis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome through integration of clinical, gene expression, SNP and proteomic data. Bioinformation. 2011 Apr 22;6(3):120-4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3089886/ (Full article)