Systemic reaction of Escherichia coli cells to weak electromagnetic fields of extremely low frequency

Abstract

The method of anomalous viscosity time dependence was used to study changes in the genome conformational state (GCS) of Escherichia coli K12 AB1157 cells after their exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) with an amplitude of magnetic induction equal to 30 μ T in the frequency range 7–12 Hz. A resonance effect which had good reproducibility and disappeared 100–170 min after the exposure of the cells was demonstrated. The direction and magnitude of the effect depended on the growth stage of the bacterial culture at which the cells were exposed to the EMF. The resonance frequencies and half-widths of the resonance dependences of the effect in the early stationary and middle logarithmic phases did not differ significantly. It was shown that the EMF resonance effect on the GCS is accompanied by considerable changes in the dynamics of cell division, DNA synthesis and protein synthesis. A comparative analysis of the systematic reactions of E. coli cells to the resonance effect of extremely low frequency (ELF) EMF and electromagnetic millimeter waves was carried out.