Methylation Patterns are Different in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome!

Methylation is a biochemical process that changes or modifies gene expression without changing the DNA sequences. A recent study has demonstrated that patients with CFS had different methylation patterns than those study participants without CFS. The results seem to confirm past studies that also showed methylation may be a factor in CFS. More research is warranted to find out whether changes in methylation, especially in those genes related to immune response, is caused by CFS or CFS causes changes in methylation patterns. In addition, the author points out that "epigenetic mediation of the connection between genotype and phenotype has recently been proposed and these relationships may be worth investigating in assessments of disease and disease risk."(1) In a subsequent study, they found that "dysregulation in ME/CFS varied depending on the location relative to CpG islands. " (3) 

1. DNA methylation modifications associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. PloS one, Vol. 9, No. 8. (2014) by Wilfred C. de Vega, Suzanne D. Vernon, Patrick O. McGowan. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4128721/


2. Identification of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome-associated DNA methylation patterns. PloS one, Vol. 13, No. 7. (2018) by Malav S. Trivedi, Elisa Oltra, Leonor Sarria, et al.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?
id=10.1371/journal.pone.0201066

3. Epigenetic modifications and glucocorticoid sensitivity in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). BMC medical genomics, Vol. 10, No. 1. (23 February 2017) by Wilfred C. de Vega, Santiago Herrera, Suzanne D. Vernon, Patrick O. McGowan https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5324230/