Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) induces alterations in epigenetic regulation in the myometrium - An in vitro study
Abstract
Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) induces alterations in epigenetic regulation in the myometrium - An in vitro study Franczak A, Drzewiecka EM, Kozlowska W, Zmijewska A, Wydorski PJ. Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) induces alterations in epigenetic regulation in the myometrium - An in vitro study. Theriogenology. 2023 Feb 7;200:136-146. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.02.005. Abstract Previous research by the authors indicated that an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) evokes molecular alterations in the porcine myometrium. It was hypothesized that the ELF-EMF could induce alterations in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in the myometrium. In the current study, slices of the porcine myometrium during the peri-implantation period (n = 4) were used for further in vitro exposition to ELF- EMF (50 Hz, 8 mT, 2 h treatment duration). The study tested whether the ELF-EMF may affect: 1/the expression of DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a), 2/the level of genomic DNA methylation, and 3/the level of amplification of methylated and unmethylated variants of promoter regions of selected genes with altered expression in response to ELF-EMF. It was found that ELF-EMF treatment increased DNMT1, decreased DNMT3a mRNA transcript and protein abundance, and increased the level of genomic DNA methylation. The direction of alterations in the level of amplification of methylated and unmethylated variants of the promoter region of selected genes with altered expression, i.e. prodynorphin (PDYN), interleukin 15 (IL15) signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and between down-regulated genes were early growth response 2 (EGR2), hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 (HAPLN1), and uteroferrin associated basic protein-2 (UABP2), mostly involving the direction of changes in their transcriptional activity, which was evaluated in a previous study by the authors. Thus, ELF-EMF radiation disturbs epigenetic mechanisms, which may underlay ELF-EMF-related transcriptomic alterations in the myometrium. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
AI evidence extraction
Main findings
In porcine myometrium slices exposed in vitro to 50 Hz, 8 mT ELF-EMF for 2 hours, DNMT1 increased while DNMT3a decreased at the mRNA and protein level, and genomic DNA methylation increased. The study also reports changes in amplification of methylated and unmethylated promoter variants for several genes, generally aligning with previously observed transcriptional changes.
Outcomes measured
- DNMT1 mRNA transcript and protein abundance
- DNMT3a mRNA transcript and protein abundance
- Genomic DNA methylation level
- Promoter methylation status (methylated/unmethylated variants) of selected genes (PDYN, IL15, STAT5A, TNF, EGR2, HAPLN1, UABP2)
Limitations
- In vitro design using tissue slices may not reflect in vivo responses.
- Small sample size (n = 4).
- Gene expression direction for selected genes was evaluated in a previous study rather than fully detailed here.
- Exposure conditions (50 Hz, 8 mT, 2 h) may not generalize to other ELF-EMF scenarios.
View raw extracted JSON
{
"publication_year": null,
"study_type": "in_vitro",
"exposure": {
"band": "ELF",
"source": null,
"frequency_mhz": 0.05000000000000000277555756156289135105907917022705078125,
"sar_wkg": null,
"duration": "2 h"
},
"population": "Porcine myometrium slices during the peri-implantation period (in vitro)",
"sample_size": 4,
"outcomes": [
"DNMT1 mRNA transcript and protein abundance",
"DNMT3a mRNA transcript and protein abundance",
"Genomic DNA methylation level",
"Promoter methylation status (methylated/unmethylated variants) of selected genes (PDYN, IL15, STAT5A, TNF, EGR2, HAPLN1, UABP2)"
],
"main_findings": "In porcine myometrium slices exposed in vitro to 50 Hz, 8 mT ELF-EMF for 2 hours, DNMT1 increased while DNMT3a decreased at the mRNA and protein level, and genomic DNA methylation increased. The study also reports changes in amplification of methylated and unmethylated promoter variants for several genes, generally aligning with previously observed transcriptional changes.",
"effect_direction": "harm",
"limitations": [
"In vitro design using tissue slices may not reflect in vivo responses.",
"Small sample size (n = 4).",
"Gene expression direction for selected genes was evaluated in a previous study rather than fully detailed here.",
"Exposure conditions (50 Hz, 8 mT, 2 h) may not generalize to other ELF-EMF scenarios."
],
"evidence_strength": "low",
"confidence": 0.7800000000000000266453525910037569701671600341796875,
"peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
"stance": "concern",
"stance_confidence": 0.7399999999999999911182158029987476766109466552734375,
"summary": "This in vitro study exposed peri-implantation porcine myometrium slices (n=4) to ELF-EMF (50 Hz, 8 mT) for 2 hours to assess epigenetic regulation. The authors report increased DNMT1, decreased DNMT3a, and increased global genomic DNA methylation after exposure. They also report altered promoter methylation patterns in several genes, which they interpret as potentially underlying previously observed transcriptomic changes.",
"key_points": [
"Porcine myometrium slices were exposed in vitro to 50 Hz, 8 mT ELF-EMF for 2 hours.",
"DNMT1 mRNA and protein abundance increased after ELF-EMF exposure.",
"DNMT3a mRNA and protein abundance decreased after ELF-EMF exposure.",
"Global genomic DNA methylation level increased following exposure.",
"Promoter methylation patterns were assessed for PDYN, IL15, STAT5A, TNF, EGR2, HAPLN1, and UABP2.",
"Reported promoter methylation changes mostly aligned with transcriptional activity changes described by the authors in prior work."
],
"categories": [
"ELF-EMF",
"Epigenetics",
"In Vitro",
"Reproductive System"
],
"tags": [
"ELF-EMF",
"Extremely Low Frequency",
"50 Hz",
"8 mT",
"In Vitro",
"Porcine Myometrium",
"Peri-Implantation",
"DNA Methylation",
"DNMT1",
"DNMT3a",
"Promoter Methylation",
"Transcriptomic Alterations"
],
"keywords": [
"extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field",
"ELF-EMF",
"myometrium",
"porcine",
"in vitro",
"epigenetic regulation",
"DNA methylation",
"DNMT1",
"DNMT3a",
"promoter methylation",
"peri-implantation"
],
"suggested_hubs": [],
"social": {
"tweet": "In vitro study: porcine myometrium slices exposed to 50 Hz, 8 mT ELF-EMF for 2 h showed increased DNMT1, decreased DNMT3a, and higher global DNA methylation, with reported promoter methylation changes in several genes. PMID: 36806924",
"facebook": "An in vitro study in porcine myometrium slices (peri-implantation) reports that 50 Hz, 8 mT ELF-EMF exposure for 2 hours altered epigenetic markers: DNMT1 increased, DNMT3a decreased, and global DNA methylation increased, alongside reported promoter methylation changes in selected genes. PMID: 36806924",
"linkedin": "Theriogenology (2023) in vitro study: peri-implantation porcine myometrium slices exposed to 50 Hz, 8 mT ELF-EMF for 2 h showed altered epigenetic regulation (DNMT1 up, DNMT3a down, increased global DNA methylation) and reported promoter methylation changes in selected genes. PMID: 36806924"
}
}
AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.
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