ABSENCE OF ELF MAGNETIC FIELD EFFECTS ON TRANSCRIPTION OF THE CONNEXIN43 GENE

Studies in our laboratory have revealed that extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MF) suppress gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in cultured cells. To explore the molecular mechanisms, the effect of 50-Hz, 0.8-mT MF on connexin43 gene transcription was studied. Transcriptional levels of the connexin43 gene in the mouse fibroblast cell line NIH3T3 and Chinese hamster lung (CHL) cells were examined by Northern blot analysis using a ³²P-labeled connexin43 probe. Cells had been exposed to MF for 24 h and/or had received 2 h of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) treatment. The connexin43 gene transcriptional level did not change significantly in any exposure groups.