13/08/2004 Scientists at
Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) have found
indications of yet unreported biological effects of microwave
radiation emitted by mobile phones. The study was designed to find
biological effects and, therefore, it can not be used to determine
whether radiation might have any impact on health.
The results of the study have been recently published in two articles in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal, Proteomics. It was found that protein called vimentin, which belongs to group of proteins that form cellular skeleton, has responded to the mobile phone microwave radiation. These new results confirm the previous reports from STUK, that proteins forming cellular skeleton might be a target of mobile phone radiation. In an earlier study from the same research group, published in 2002, it was found that mobile phone microwaves affected the function of another cellular skeleton protein - actin. Cellular skeleton maintains the size and shape of cells, assists in transport of molecules and liquids into and through the cell and accounts for the cell movements. ”Our observations suggest that, at least in laboratory, microwave radiation of mobile phones possibly alters some cellular functions”, says Dariusz Leszczynski, the Research Professor at the Radiobiology Laboratory at STUK. According to Leszczynski, more studies are needed to find out whether the effects observed in the laboratory take also place in living animals or in people. Further studies are then needed to determine whether changes in cellular skeleton could have any impact on body’s physiological functions, e.g. on blood-brain barrier which regulates the passage of certain proteins from blood stream into the brain. The protein study proved effectiveness of new research approachThe STUK research was performed using techniques allowing high-throughput screening of genes and proteins. Research Professor Dariusz Leszczynski claims that the studies, published now in Proteomics, indicate that the high-throughput screening may very well be the fastest and most effective way to find out genes and proteins that respond to mobile phones radiation. In the experiments, cells are exposed to mobile phone radiation after which those particular genes and proteins that were affected by the radiation can be found among the thousands of genes and proteins with the use of high-throughput screening methods. ”Use of this approach, I believe, is the important step on the way to find out all potential targets of mobile phone radiation in the cell. It seems that radiation can often affect such cellular targets that scientists are not able to anticipate at all”, Leszczynski states. The use of high-throughput screening methods helps to locate these targets relatively quickly and further validation studies can be launched. Further information: Research Professor, Head of Laboratory, Dariusz Leszczynski, tel. +358 9 759 88 694 Information Officer, Tiina Niemi, tel. +358 9 759 88 210 24-h information officer outside office hours, tel. 358 10 850 4761 Articles in Proteomics on the issue:Leszczynski D, Nylund R, Joenväärä S, Reivinen J. Applicability of discovery science approach to determine biological effects of mobile phone radiation. Proteomics 2004; 4: 426-431. Nylund R, Leszczynski D. Proteomics analysis of human endothelial cell line EA.hy926 after exposure to GSM 900 radiation. Proteomics 2004; 4: 1359–1365. Page updated 30/09/2004 |