Exposure of B-lineage lymphoid cells to low energy electromagnetic fields stimulates Lyn kinase.

Here, we present evidence that exposure of B-lineage lymphoid cells to low energy electromagnetic fields (EMF) stimulates the protein tyrosine kinases Lyn and Syk, results in tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple electrophoretically distinct substrates, and leads to downstream activation of protein kinase C (PKC). EMF exposure enhances protein tyrosine phosphorylation in Syk deficient but not in Lyn-deficient B-lineage lymphoid cells and stimulates Lyn kinase activity in wild-type as well as Syk-deficient B-lineage lymphoid cells. These results indicate that activation of Lyn kinase is sufficient and mandatory for EMF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation in B-lineage lymphoid cells. The PKC activity increases later than the Lyn activity and pretreatment with the PTK inhibitors genistein or herbimycin A abrogates the EMF-induced PKC signal. Thus, stimulation of Lyn is a proximal and mandatory step in EMF-induced activation of PKC in B-lineage lymphoid cells. Our observations prompt the hypothesis that a delicate growth regulatory balance might be altered in B-lineage lymphoid cells by EMF-induced activation of Lyn.