title: Biogenic magnetite in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is widely used as a model system in biological research. Recently, examination of the production of heat-shock proteins in this organism in response to mobile phone-type electromagnetic field exposure produced the most robust demonstration to date of a non-thermal, deleterious biological effect. Though these results appear to be a sound demonstration of non-thermal bioeffects, to our knowledge, no mechanism has been proposed to explain them. We show, apparently for the first time, that biogenic magnetite, a ferrimagnetic iron oxide, is present in C. elegans. Its presence may have confounding effects on experiments involving electromagnetic fields as well as implications for the use of this nematode as a model system for iron biomineralization in multi-cellular organisms.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Keele University, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 7QB, UK.
authors.forename: Charles G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Cranfield
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dawe
authors.forename: Vassil
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Karloukovski
authors.forename: Rafal E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Dunin-Borkowski
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: de Pomerai
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dobson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis*; D008280:Magnetics; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010087:Oxides / Q000032:analysis*; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D010087:Oxides; D007501:Iron; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide