Abstract
Terahertz (THz) radiation was proposed recently for use in various applications, including medical imaging and security scanners. However, there are concerns regarding the possible biological effects of non-ionising electromagnetic radiation in the THz range on cells. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are extremely sensitive to environmental stimuli, and we therefore utilised this cell model to investigate the non-thermal effects of THz irradiation. We studied DNA damage and transcriptome responses in hESCs exposed to narrow-band THz radiation (2.3 THz) under strict temperature control. The transcription of approximately 1% of genes was subtly increased following THz irradiation. Functional annotation enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed 15 functional classes, which were mostly related to mitochondria. Terahertz irradiation did not induce the formation of γH2AX foci or structural chromosomal aberrations in hESCs. We did not observe any effect on the mitotic index or morphology of the hESCs following THz exposure.
Highlights
No DNA damage response and negligible genome-wide transcriptional changes in human embryonic stem cells exposed to terahertz radiation
The data obtained in a study of mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that responded to THz irradiation by adjusting the expression of specific genes might be explained by the DNA breathing model[7]
We examined the morphology of irradiated Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) 16 and 20 hours after THz exposure, and the morphological analysis did not reveal any differences between hESCs that were exposed to THz radiation and those that were not
Summary
No DNA damage response and negligible genome-wide transcriptional changes in human embryonic stem cells exposed to terahertz radiation. The non-thermal effect of THz radiation on gene expression was observed in a study of artificial human skin[8] Both investigations revealed that THz induces changes in the expression of genes implicated in differentiation. This effect depends on the duration of exposure and the frequency of THz radiation as well as on the stage of MSC differentiation Another investigation involving human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) which did not reveal any effect of THz radiation on the proliferation, morphological properties and pluripotency maintenance of these cells[10]. This previous study did not include genome-wide transcriptome analysis. Embryonic stem cells would be the appropriate choice to study the influence of physical processes on DNA integrity and cell machinery
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