Gene expression analysis of a human lymphoblastoma cell line exposed in vitro to an intermittent 1.9 GHz pulse-modulated radiofrequency field.
This study was designed to determine whether radiofrequency (RF) fields of the type used for wireless communications could elicit a cellular stress response. As general indicators of a cellular stress response, we monitored changes in proto-oncogene and heat-shock protein expression. Exponentially growing human lymphoblastoma cells (TK6) were exposed to 1.9 GHz pulse-modulated RF fields at average specific absorption rates (SARs) of 1 and 10 W/kg. Perturbations in the expression levels of the proto-oncogenes FOS, JUN and MYC after exposure to sham and RF fields were assessed by real-time RT-PCR. In addition, the transcript levels of the cellular stress proteins HSP27 and inducible HSP70 were also monitored. We demonstrated that transcript levels of these genes in RF-field-exposed cells showed no significant difference in relation to the sham treatment group. However, concurrent positive (heat-shock) control samples displayed a significant elevation in the expression of HSP27, HSP70, FOS and JUN. Conversely, the levels of MYC mRNA were found to decline in the positive (heat-shock) control. In conclusion, our study found no evidence that the 1.9 GHz RF-field exposure caused a general stress response in TK6 cells under our experimental conditions.
Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau, Healthy Environment and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 1C1.
V
V
Chauhan
A
A
Mariampillai
P V
PV
Bellier
S S
SS
Qutob
G B
GB
Gajda
E
E
Lemay
A
A
Thansandote
J P
JP
McNamee
D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018869:Heat-Shock Response / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006801:Humans; D008872:Microwaves; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011846:Radio Waves
D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins