No DNA damage response and negligible genome-wide transcriptional changes in human embryonic stem cells exposed to terahertz radiation

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 7749
• Main Authors: Bogomazova, A. N., Vassina, E. M., Goryachkovskaya, T. N., Popik, V. M., Sokolov, A. S., Kolchanov, N. A., Lagarkova, M. A., Kiselev, S. L., Peltek, S. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 13-01-2015; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13; 13/100; 13/51; 14/19; 14/63; 38/61; 631/337/1427/2122; 631/337/2019; 631/532/2117; Biological effects; Cell Line; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Cell Nucleus - radiation effects; Cell Shape - radiation effects; Chromosome Aberrations; Cluster Analysis; Cyclin B1 - metabolism; Cytogenetic Analysis; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded - radiation effects; DNA damage; DNA Damage - genetics; Electromagnetic radiation; Embryo cells; Embryonic Stem Cells - metabolism; Embryonic Stem Cells - radiation effects; Embryos; Environmental effects; G1 Phase - radiation effects; Gene expression; Genome, Human; Genomes; Histones - metabolism; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Indoles - metabolism; Irradiation; Mitochondria; Mitotic Index; Molecular Sequence Annotation; multidisciplinary; Phosphorylation - radiation effects; Science; Stem cells; Temperature control; Temperature effects; Terahertz Radiation; Transcription; Transcription, Genetic - radiation effects
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/srep07749

Terahertz (THz) radiation was proposed recently for use in various applications, including medical imaging and security scanners. However, there are concerns regarding the possible biological effects of non-ionising electromagnetic radiation in the THz range on cells. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are extremely sensitive to environmental stimuli and we therefore utilised this cell model to investigate the non-thermal effects of THz irradiation. We studied DNA damage and transcriptome responses in hESCs exposed to narrow-band THz radiation (2.3 THz) under strict temperature control. The transcription of approximately 1% of genes was subtly increased following THz irradiation. Functional annotation enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed 15 functional classes, which were mostly related to mitochondria. Terahertz irradiation did not induce the formation of γH2AX foci or structural chromosomal aberrations in hESCs. We did not observe any effect on the mitotic index or morphology of the hESCs following THz exposure.