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Mobile-phone radiation-induced perturbation of gene-expression profiling, redox equilibrium and sporadic-apoptosis control in the ovary of Drosophila melanogaster

Bioeffects Seen

Manta AK, Papadopoulou D, Polyzos AP, Fragopoulou AF, Skouroliakou AS, Thanos D, Stravopodis DJ, Margaritis LH. · 2017

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Mobile phone radiation disrupted 168 genes and triggered cell death in fruit flies after just 30 minutes of exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed fruit flies to mobile phone radiation for 30 minutes. The radiation increased harmful molecules by 60%, altered 168 genes within 2 hours, and triggered cell death in reproductive organs within 4 hours, showing cellular damage from brief phone exposure.

Why This Matters

This study provides compelling evidence that mobile phone radiation triggers systematic biological disruption even at relatively low exposure levels. The SAR of 0.15 W/kg used here is well within the range of typical mobile phone emissions during calls, making these findings directly relevant to human exposure. What makes this research particularly significant is the clear timeline it establishes: oxidative stress occurs immediately, genetic disruption follows within hours, and cell death programs activate shortly after. The researchers identified 168 genes affected by just 30 minutes of exposure, involving critical processes like metabolism and stress response. While fruit flies aren't humans, their cellular mechanisms are remarkably similar to ours, and this type of systematic genetic disruption raises serious questions about the cumulative effects of our daily mobile phone use.

Exposure Details

SAR
0.15 W/kg
Source/Device
mobile-phone
Exposure Duration
30 min

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextA logarithmic scale showing exposure levels relative to Building Biology concern thresholds and regulatory limits.Study Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.15 W/kgExtreme Concern0.1 W/kgFCC Limit1.6 W/kgEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 11x higher than this exposure level

Study Details

To study the mobile-phone radiation-induced perturbation of gene-expression profiling, redox equilibrium and sporadic-apoptosis control in the ovary of Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster four days-old adult female flies were exposed for 30 min to radiation emitte...

ROS cellular contents were found to increase by 1.6-fold (x), immediately after the end of exposure,...

Conclusively, this unique type of pulsed radiation, mainly being derived from daily used mobile phones, seems capable of mobilizing critical cytopathic mechanisms, and altering fundamental genetic programs and networks in D. melanogaster.

Cite This Study
Manta AK, Papadopoulou D, Polyzos AP, Fragopoulou AF, Skouroliakou AS, Thanos D, Stravopodis DJ, Margaritis LH. (2017). Mobile-phone radiation-induced perturbation of gene-expression profiling, redox equilibrium and sporadic-apoptosis control in the ovary of Drosophila melanogaster Fly (Austin). 11(2):75-95, 2017.
Show BibTeX
@article{ak_2017_mobilephone_radiationinduced_perturbation_of_1173,
  author = {Manta AK and Papadopoulou D and Polyzos AP and Fragopoulou AF and Skouroliakou AS and Thanos D and Stravopodis DJ and Margaritis LH.},
  title = {Mobile-phone radiation-induced perturbation of gene-expression profiling, redox equilibrium and sporadic-apoptosis control in the ovary of Drosophila melanogaster},
  year = {2017},
  doi = {10.1080/19336934.2016.1270487},
  url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19336934.2016.1270487},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers exposed fruit flies to mobile phone radiation for 30 minutes. The radiation increased harmful molecules by 60%, altered 168 genes within 2 hours, and triggered cell death in reproductive organs within 4 hours, showing cellular damage from brief phone exposure.