Transcriptomic Profile Reveals Deregulation of Hearing-Loss Related Genes in Vestibular Schwannoma Cells Following Electromagnetic Field Exposure (50 Hz)

2021 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 1069

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2021

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Transcriptomic Profile Reveals Deregulation of Hearing-Loss Related Genes in Vestibular Schwannoma Cells Following Electromagnetic Field Exposure (50 Hz) Colciago A, Audano M, Bonalume V, Melfi V, Mohamed T, Reid AJ, Faroni A, Greer PA, Mitro N, Magnaghi V. Transcriptomic Profile Reveals Deregulation of Hearing-Loss Related Genes in Vestibular Schwannoma Cells Following Electromagnetic Field Exposure. Cells. 2021 Jul 20;10(7):1840. doi: 10.3390/cells10071840. Abstract Hearing loss (HL) is the most common sensory disorder in the world population. One common cause of HL is the presence of vestibular schwannoma (VS), a benign tumor of the VIII cranial nerve, arising from Schwann cell (SC) transformation. In the last decade, the increasing incidence of VS has been correlated to electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure, which might be considered a pathogenic cause of VS development and HL. Here, we explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the biologic changes of human SCs and/or their oncogenic transformation following EMF exposure. Through NGS technology and RNA-Seq transcriptomic analysis, we investigated the genomic profile and the differential display of HL-related genes after chronic EMF. We found that chronic EMF exposure modified the cell proliferation, in parallel with intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways changes, mostly related to translation and mitochondrial activities. Importantly, the expression of HL-related genes such as NEFL, TPRN, OTOGL, GJB2, and REST appeared to be deregulated in chronic EMF exposure. In conclusion, we suggest that, at a preclinical stage, EMF exposure might promote the transformation of VS cells and contribute to HL. Open access paper: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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 typein_vitro

Effect directionharm

PopulationHuman vestibular schwannoma/Schwann cells (in vitro)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 0.05 MHz · chronic

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Using RNA-Seq after chronic 50 Hz EMF exposure, the authors report modified cell proliferation with changes in intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways, particularly related to translation and mitochondrial activities. They also report deregulation of several hearing-loss related genes (NEFL, TPRN, OTOGL, GJB2, REST) under chronic EMF exposure and suggest EMF might promote vestibular schwannoma cell transformation and contribute to hearing loss at a preclinical stage.

Outcomes measured

Transcriptomic (RNA-Seq/NGS) changes after EMF exposure
Cell proliferation changes
Changes in intracellular signaling pathways
Changes in metabolic pathways (translation and mitochondrial activities)
Expression/deregulation of hearing-loss related genes (NEFL, TPRN, OTOGL, GJB2, REST)

Limitations

Exposure intensity/dose metrics (e.g., field strength, SAR) not provided in the abstract
In vitro design; clinical relevance to vestibular schwannoma development/hearing loss in humans not established in the abstract
Sample size and replication details not reported in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 0.05,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "chronic"
  },
  "population": "Human vestibular schwannoma/Schwann cells (in vitro)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Transcriptomic (RNA-Seq/NGS) changes after EMF exposure",
    "Cell proliferation changes",
    "Changes in intracellular signaling pathways",
    "Changes in metabolic pathways (translation and mitochondrial activities)",
    "Expression/deregulation of hearing-loss related genes (NEFL, TPRN, OTOGL, GJB2, REST)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using RNA-Seq after chronic 50 Hz EMF exposure, the authors report modified cell proliferation with changes in intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways, particularly related to translation and mitochondrial activities. They also report deregulation of several hearing-loss related genes (NEFL, TPRN, OTOGL, GJB2, REST) under chronic EMF exposure and suggest EMF might promote vestibular schwannoma cell transformation and contribute to hearing loss at a preclinical stage.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure intensity/dose metrics (e.g., field strength, SAR) not provided in the abstract",
    "In vitro design; clinical relevance to vestibular schwannoma development/hearing loss in humans not established in the abstract",
    "Sample size and replication details not reported in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "electromagnetic field",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "50 Hz",
    "vestibular schwannoma",
    "Schwann cells",
    "hearing loss",
    "RNA-Seq",
    "transcriptomics",
    "gene expression",
    "mitochondria",
    "translation",
    "cell proliferation"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.2,
      "reason": "Study involves 50 Hz ELF-EMF exposure, which is commonly discussed in occupational/ELF exposure contexts, though the source is not specified in the abstract."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.3390/cells10071840
PubMed: Not supplied

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