title: Absence of direct effect of low-power millimeter-wave radiation at 60.4 GHz on endoplasmic reticulum stress.
abstract: Millimeter waves (MMW) at frequencies around 60 GHz will be used in the very near future in the emerging local wireless communication systems and the potential health hazards of artificially induced environmental exposures represent a major public concern. The main aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of low-power MMW radiations on cellular physiology. To this end, the human glial cell line, U-251 MG, was exposed to 60.4 GHz radiation at a power density of 0.14 mW/cm(2) and potential effect of MMW radiations on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was investigated. ER is very sensitive to environmental insults and its homeostasis is altered in various pathologies. Through several assay systems, we found that exposure to 60.4 GHz does not modify ER protein folding and secretion, nor induces XBP1 or ATF6 transcription factors maturation. Moreover, expression of ER-stress sensor, BiP/GRP78 was examined by real-time PCR, in exposed or non-exposed cells to MMW radiations. Our data demonstrated the absence of significant changes in mRNA levels for BiP/GRP78. Our results showed that ER homeostasis does not undergo any modification at molecular level after exposure to low-power MMW radiation at 60.4 GHz. This report is the first study of ER-stress induction by MMW radiations.
authors.affiliation: IFR, UMR CNRS, University of Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicolas Nicolaz
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhadobov
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Desmots
authors.forename: Ronan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sauleau
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thouroude
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Le Drean
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects*; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D011846:Radio Waves; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; C000717247:HSPA5 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors