CREB DNA binding activation by a 50-Hz magnetic field in HL60 cells is dependent on extra- and intracellular Ca(2+) but not PKA, PKC, ERK, or p38 MAPK.

To investigate the possible mechanism of gene transcription changes induced by magnetic field (MF), we examined the DNA binding behavior of the transcription factor cyclic-AMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) in HL60 cells after exposure to a 0.1mT 50-Hz extremely low frequency (ELF) sinusoidal MF by a gel shift assay. Magnetic field induced a time-dependent activation of CREB binding. The complex formation increased shortly after MF exposure for 10min, reaching a peak level after 1h, and then recovered to basal level at 4h after exposure. A novel MF-induced ATF2/ATF2 homodimer formation was observed after MF exposure for 30min, 1, and 2h. Furthermore, We found that the MF-induced increase of CREB DNA binding in HL60 cells was dependent on both extracellular and intracellular Ca(2+) but not PKA, PKC, ERK, or p38 MAPK by using various pathway inhibitors. These data indicate that MF exposure activates CREB DNA binding through calcium-related signal transduction pathways under our experimental conditions.