Kinetics of gene expression following exposure to 60 Hz, 2 mT magnetic fields in three human cell lines

Abstract

Laboratory reports on gene expression following magnetic field exposure have been controversial, although the weight of evidence suggests no effect of magnetic fields. We searched for changes in gene expression, including possible delayed expression, using a higher flux density and longer exposure duration than have been investigated in previous studies that yielded negative results. RNA was extracted from MCF7 WT, HeLa S3, and A172 cells 0, 1, 3, 24 and 48 h after 60 Hz magnetic field exposure at 2 mT lasting for 24 h. Northern analysis was performed for c-myc, c-fos, β-actin, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase ( GAPDH), and for Csa-19, a recently discovered gene down-regulated in vitro by X-irradiation but probably not connected with signal transduction pathways or dependent on cellular p53 status. No statistically significant effect of the magnetic field was seen under all conditions tested.