Magnetic field-induced changes in specific gene transcription.

Magnetic fields are physical, environmental agents that have been shown to produce a variety of responses in cellular and animal studies, including general changes in gene transcription. In this study, the nuclear run-off assay has been employed to assess alterations in specific gene transcription in CEM-CM3 T-lymphoblastoid cells exposed for 15-120 min to a 1 gauss sinusoidal magnetic field at 60 Hz. Time-dependent and cell density-dependent changes in the transcription of c-fos, c-jun, c-myc and protein kinase C (beta-form) have been observed and quantitated. Additionally, changes in transcript levels, assessed by slot-blot analysis, have been found to parallel the changes in gene transcription. These data suggest an important role for magnetic field exposure in altering cellular processes.