Electromagnetic fields affect transcript levels of apoptosis-related genes in embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells.
Nikolova T, Czyz J, Rolletschek A, Blyszczuk P, Fuchs J, Jovtchev G, Schuderer J, Kuster N, Wobus AM. · 2005
View Original AbstractEMF exposure activates cellular stress genes in developing brain cells, showing biological impact even without visible damage.
Plain English Summary
German researchers exposed developing brain cells to both power line frequencies (50 Hz) and cell phone frequencies (1.71 GHz) for 6 hours to study genetic effects. They found that both types of electromagnetic fields triggered changes in genes that control cell death and DNA damage responses, though the cells themselves appeared to function normally afterward. This suggests that EMF exposure can activate cellular stress responses even when no obvious harm is visible.
Why This Matters
This study reveals something crucial about how EMF exposure affects our biology at the molecular level. The researchers found that both ELF and RF fields activated genes associated with cellular stress and DNA damage control - essentially, the cells' emergency response systems kicked in. What makes this particularly significant is that these were neural progenitor cells, the building blocks of our nervous system during development. The fact that no obvious cellular damage was observed doesn't mean the exposure was harmless. Rather, it suggests our cells are working overtime to maintain normal function when exposed to EMF. This is exactly the kind of subtle biological response that industry-funded studies often miss because they only look for dramatic, immediate effects. The reality is that chronic activation of cellular stress pathways could have long-term consequences we're only beginning to understand.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 50 Hz (ELF-EMF) and 1.71 GHz (RF-EMF) Duration: 6 hours
Study Details
Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were used as an experimental model to study the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF).
ES-derived nestin-positive neural progenitor cells were exposed to extremely low frequency EMF simul...
Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that ELF-EMF exposure to ES-derived neural cells significantly...
We may conclude that EMF exposure of ES-derived neural progenitor cells transiently affects the transcript level of genes related to apoptosis and cell cycle control. However, these responses are not associated with detectable changes of cell physiology, suggesting compensatory mechanisms at the translational and posttranslational level.
Show BibTeX
@article{t_2005_electromagnetic_fields_affect_transcript_1796,
author = {Nikolova T and Czyz J and Rolletschek A and Blyszczuk P and Fuchs J and Jovtchev G and Schuderer J and Kuster N and Wobus AM.},
title = {Electromagnetic fields affect transcript levels of apoptosis-related genes in embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells.},
year = {2005},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16116041/},
}