Effects of 940 MHz EMF on Luciferase Solution: Structure, Function, and Dielectric Studies.
Sefidbakht Y, Hosseinkhani S, Mortazavi M, Tavakkolnia I, Khellat MR, Shakiba-Herfeh M, Saviz M, Faraji-Dana R, Saboury AA, Sheibani N, Moosavi-Movahedi AA. · 2013
View Original AbstractMobile phone frequencies directly altered protein structure and function, proving EMF can modify fundamental biological processes at the molecular level.
Plain English Summary
Iranian researchers exposed luciferase (a protein that produces light in fireflies) to 940 MHz electromagnetic fields similar to those from mobile phones. They found the EMF exposure significantly increased the protein's activity and changed its structure, making it less likely to clump together. This demonstrates that mobile phone frequencies can directly alter protein function at the molecular level.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that mobile phone frequencies can directly interact with proteins and alter their biological function. The researchers used luciferase as a model protein because its activity can be precisely measured, and the results show clear structural and functional changes after EMF exposure. What makes this particularly significant is that 940 MHz sits squarely within the frequency range used by mobile phones and wireless devices that surround us daily. The fact that EMF exposure enhanced protein activity rather than damaging it doesn't make the finding less concerning - it demonstrates that these fields are biologically active and can modify fundamental cellular processes. When proteins change their structure and function in response to EMF, it raises important questions about what other cellular proteins might be similarly affected during everyday wireless device use.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. The study examined exposure from: 940 MHz
Study Details
We designed a rectangular waveguide exposure system to study the effects of mobile phone frequency (940 MHz) electromagnetic fields (EMF) on luciferase structure and activity.
A microwave dielectric measurement was performed to study the hydration properties of luciferase sol...
The luciferase activity of exposed samples was significantly higher than that of unexposed samples. ...
Together, our results suggested that direct interactions with luciferase molecules and its dipole moment were responsible for the reduced aggregation and enhanced luciferase activity upon exposure to the EMF.
Show BibTeX
@article{y_2013_effects_of_940_mhz_2577,
author = {Sefidbakht Y and Hosseinkhani S and Mortazavi M and Tavakkolnia I and Khellat MR and Shakiba-Herfeh M and Saviz M and Faraji-Dana R and Saboury AA and Sheibani N and Moosavi-Movahedi AA. },
title = {Effects of 940 MHz EMF on Luciferase Solution: Structure, Function, and Dielectric Studies. },
year = {2013},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23633149/},
}