EFFECTS ON PROTEIN KINASE C AND GENE EXPRESSION IN A HUMAN MAST CELL LINE, HMC-1, FOLLOWING MICROWAVE EXPOSURE

• Published in: Cell biology international 1999-11, Vol.23 (11), p.739-748
• Main Authors: Harvey, Charles, French, Peter W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actins - metabolism; Apoptosis; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; c-kit; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; Cell Line; electromagnetic fields; gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - radiation effects; Humans; Kinetics; Mast Cells; Microwaves; Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase - genetics; protein kinase C; Protein Kinase C - metabolism; Protein Kinase C - radiation effects; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit - genetics; Repressor Proteins - genetics; signal transduction; Temperature
• ISSN: 1065-6995; 1095-8355
• DOI: 10.1006/cbir.1999.0436

We used a resonant cavity which delivered a continuous wave exposure at 864.3MHz at an average specific absorption rate (SAR) of 7W/kg to determine non-thermal biological effects of microwave exposure. A human mast cell line, HMC-1, was used as the biological target. Cells were given three exposures each of 20-min duration daily for 7 days. The temperature of the cell culture medium during the exposure fell to 26.5°C. Effects were seen on localization of protein kinase C, and expression of three genes of 588 screened. The affected genes included the proto-oncogene c-kit, the transcription factor Nucleoside diphosphate kinase B and the apoptosis-associated gene DAD-1. Stress response genes were variably upregulated. No significant effect on morphology or on F-actin distribution was detected. We conclude that low-power microwave exposure may act on HMC-1 cells by altering gene expression via a mechanism involving activation of protein kinase C, and at temperatures well below those known to induce a heat shock response.