GSE174389
Next generation sequencing of mRNA in control human schwannoma cells (HEI-193) and human schwannoma cells exposed to electromagnetic field (EMF)
Hearing loss (HL) is the most common sensory disorder in the world population. One common cause of hearing loss is the presence of vestibular schwannoma (VS) a benign tumor of the VIII cranial nerve, arising from Schwann cells (SCs) transformation. In the last decade, an increasing incidence of VSs may be ascribed to the exposure to electromagnetic field (EMF), which may be considered a pathogenic cause of VS development and HL. In this paper, we explore the possible molecular mechanisms underlying the biologic changes of human SCs and/or their oncogenic transformation following EMF exposure. We investigated, by NGS technology RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis, the genomic profile and the differential display of HL-related genes following chronic EMF. We found that cell proliferation in parallel with intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways, mostly related to translation and mitochondrial activity were modified by chronic EMF exposure. Importantly, the expression of some HL-related genes, such as NEFL, TPRN, OTOGL, GJB2 and REST appeared regulated chronic EMF. Overall design: In conclusion, we suggest that, at a preclinical stage, EMF exposure might promote the transformation of the VS cells versus an HL phenotype.