Microarray profiling of LncRNA expression in the testis of pubertal mice following morning and evening exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields

Chronobiology international · 2021 · Harm · Low evidence

← Research stream

HarmLow evidencePaper 1067

Study snapshot

PublicationChronobiology international · 2021

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Microarray profiling of LncRNA expression in the testis of pubertal mice following morning and evening exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields Qin F, Cao H, Feng C, Zhu T, Zhu B, Zhang J, Tong J, Pei H. Microarray profiling of LncRNA expression in the testis of pubertal mice following morning and evening exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency fields. Chronobiol Int. 2021 Aug 8:1-16. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2021.1962902. Abstract In this paper, the chronotoxicity of radiofrequency fields (RF) in the pubertal testis development and the involved molecular pathways were investigated by exposing four-week-old mice to RF (1800 MHz, SAR, 0.50 W/kg) in the morning and evening of each day for three weeks. Then, pathological changes and functional indices within the testis were determined. We also used a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) microarray and GO/KEGG pathway analyses to determine lncRNA expression profiles and predict their potential functions. The cis and trans regulation of lncRNAs were investigated, and an interaction network was constructed using Cytoscape software. RF exposure led to a range of pathological changes in the testes of adolescent mice, as testicular weights and daily sperm productions decreased, and the testosterone secretion reduced. Furthermore, RF induced dysregulation in the expression of testicular lncRNAs. We identified 615 and 183 differentially expressed lncRNAs that were associated with morning and evening exposure to RF, respectively. From 15 differential expression lncRNAs both in morning RF group and evening RF group, we selected 6 lncRNAs to be validated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The differentially expressed lncRNAs induced by morning RF exposure were highly correlated with many different pathways, including Fanconi syndrome, metabolic processes, cell cycle, DNA damage, and DNA replication. Trans-regulation analyses further showed that differentially expressed lncRNAs were involved in multiple transcription factor-regulated pathways, such as TCFAP4, NFkB, HINFP, TFDP2, FoxN1, and PAX5. These transcription factors have all been shown to be involved in the modulation of testis development, cell cycle progression, and spermatogenesis. These findings suggest that the extent to which 1800 MHz RF induced toxicity in the testes and changed the expression of lncRNAs showed differences between morning exposure and evening exposure. These data indicate that differentially expressed lncRNAs play crucial roles in the RF exposure damage to the developing pubertal testis. Collectively, our findings provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the toxic effects of RF exposure on testicular development. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionharm

PopulationFour-week-old (pubertal) mice

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 1800 MHz · 0.5 W/kg · morning and evening of each day for three weeks

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Pubertal mice exposed to 1800 MHz RF (SAR 0.50 W/kg) for three weeks showed pathological changes in testes, with decreased testicular weights, reduced daily sperm production, and reduced testosterone secretion. RF exposure was associated with dysregulated testicular lncRNA expression, with 615 and 183 differentially expressed lncRNAs reported for morning and evening exposure groups, respectively, and pathway analyses linking changes to processes including metabolic processes, cell cycle, DNA damage, and DNA replication.

Outcomes measured

Testicular pathology (pathological changes)
Testicular weight
Daily sperm production
Testosterone secretion
Testicular lncRNA expression profiles (microarray)
GO/KEGG pathway enrichment
cis/trans regulation analyses of lncRNAs
Transcription factor-related pathway involvement (e.g., TCFAP4, NFkB, HINFP, TFDP2, FoxN1, PAX5)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Exposure source/setup and dosimetry details beyond frequency and SAR not described in abstract
Timing-specific (morning vs evening) comparisons are mentioned but quantitative outcome differences are not provided in abstract
Microarray/pathway analyses are associative and do not establish causality for specific lncRNAs

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 1800,
    "sar_wkg": 0.5,
    "duration": "morning and evening of each day for three weeks"
  },
  "population": "Four-week-old (pubertal) mice",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Testicular pathology (pathological changes)",
    "Testicular weight",
    "Daily sperm production",
    "Testosterone secretion",
    "Testicular lncRNA expression profiles (microarray)",
    "GO/KEGG pathway enrichment",
    "cis/trans regulation analyses of lncRNAs",
    "Transcription factor-related pathway involvement (e.g., TCFAP4, NFkB, HINFP, TFDP2, FoxN1, PAX5)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Pubertal mice exposed to 1800 MHz RF (SAR 0.50 W/kg) for three weeks showed pathological changes in testes, with decreased testicular weights, reduced daily sperm production, and reduced testosterone secretion. RF exposure was associated with dysregulated testicular lncRNA expression, with 615 and 183 differentially expressed lncRNAs reported for morning and evening exposure groups, respectively, and pathway analyses linking changes to processes including metabolic processes, cell cycle, DNA damage, and DNA replication.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Exposure source/setup and dosimetry details beyond frequency and SAR not described in abstract",
    "Timing-specific (morning vs evening) comparisons are mentioned but quantitative outcome differences are not provided in abstract",
    "Microarray/pathway analyses are associative and do not establish causality for specific lncRNAs"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency fields",
    "1800 MHz",
    "SAR 0.50 W/kg",
    "pubertal mice",
    "testis",
    "spermatogenesis",
    "testosterone",
    "lncRNA",
    "microarray",
    "chronotoxicity",
    "GO/KEGG",
    "Cytoscape"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "male-fertility",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Assesses testicular weight, sperm production, and testosterone after RF exposure in pubertal mice."
    },
    {
      "slug": "rf-animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.85,
      "reason": "Animal experiment with controlled 1800 MHz RF exposure and biological endpoints."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2021.1962902
PubMed: 34369206

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library