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Gene expression and reproductive abilities of male Drosophila melanogaster subjected to ELF-EMF exposure.

Mutation research. Genetic toxicology and environmental mutagenesis · 2013 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4567

Transcriptomic analysis found many differentially expressed genes after ELF-EMF exposure (short-term: 439 up-regulated, 874 down-regulated; long-term: 514 up-regulated, 1206 down-regulated; intersection: 238 up, 598 down; using >2-fold or <0.5-fold thresholds…

Study snapshot

PublicationMutation research. Genetic toxicology and environmental mutagenesis · 2013
Study typeanimal
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) exposure is attracting increased attention as a possible disease-inducing factor. The in vivo effects of short-term and long-term ELF-EMF exposure on male Drosophila melanogaster were studied using transcriptomic analysis for preliminary screening and QRT-PCR for further verification. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that 439 genes were up-regulated and 874 genes were down-regulated following short-term exposures and that 514 genes were up-regulated and 1206 genes were down-regulated following long-term exposures (expression >2- or <0.5-fold, respectively). In addition, there are 238 up-regulated genes and 598 down-regulated genes in the intersection of short-term and long-term exposure (expression >2- or <0.5-fold). The DEGs (differentially expressed genes) in D. melanogaster following short-term exposures were involved in metabolic processes, cytoskeletal organization, mitotic spindle organization, cell death, protein modification and proteolysis. Long-term exposure let to changes in expression of genes involved in metabolic processes, response to stress, mitotic spindle organization, aging, cell death and cellular respiration. In the intersection of short-term and long-term exposure, a series of DEGs were related to apoptosis, aging, immunological stress and reproduction. To check the ELF-EMF effects on reproduction, some experiments on male reproduction ability were performed. Their results indicated that short-term ELF-EMF exposure may decrease the reproductive ability of males, but long-term exposures had no effect on reproductive ability. Down-regulation of ark gene in the exposed males suggests that the decrease in reproductive capacity may be induced by the effects of ELF-EMF exposure on spermatogenesis through the caspase pathway. QRT-PCR analysis confirmed that jra, ark and decay genes were down regulated in males exposed for 1 Generation (1G) and 72 h, which suggests that apoptosis may be inhibited in vivo. ELF-EMF exposure may have accelerated cell senescence, as suggested by the down-regulation of both cat and jra genes and the up-regulation of hsp22 gene. Up-regulation of totA and hsp22 genes during exposure suggests that exposed flies might induce an in vivo immune response to counter the adverse effects encountered during ELF-EMF exposure. Down-regulation of cat genes suggests that the partial oxidative protection system might be restrained, especially during short-term exposures. This study demonstrates the bioeffects of ELF-EMF exposure and provides evidence for understanding the in vivo mechanisms of ELF-EMF exposure on male D. melanogaster.

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 directionmixed
PopulationMale Drosophila melanogaster
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureELF · Short-term and long-term exposures; also mentions 1 Generation (1G) and 72 h
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Transcriptomic analysis found many differentially expressed genes after ELF-EMF exposure (short-term: 439 up-regulated, 874 down-regulated; long-term: 514 up-regulated, 1206 down-regulated; intersection: 238 up, 598 down; using >2-fold or <0.5-fold thresholds). Short-term exposure may decrease male reproductive ability, while long-term exposure had no effect on reproductive ability. QRT-PCR confirmed down-regulation of jra, ark, and decay in males exposed for 1 generation and 72 h; other reported changes included down-regulation of cat and jra and up-regulation of hsp22, totA and hsp22.

Outcomes measured

  • Gene expression changes (transcriptomic analysis; QRT-PCR verification)
  • Male reproductive ability
  • Pathway-related signals (apoptosis/caspase pathway, aging/cell senescence, immune response, oxidative protection)

Limitations

  • Exposure parameters (e.g., field strength, exact frequency) not provided in the abstract
  • Sample size not reported in the abstract
  • Mechanistic interpretations are suggested based on gene expression changes rather than direct pathway measurements
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Short-term and long-term exposures; also mentions 1 Generation (1G) and 72 h"
  },
  "population": "Male Drosophila melanogaster",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Gene expression changes (transcriptomic analysis; QRT-PCR verification)",
    "Male reproductive ability",
    "Pathway-related signals (apoptosis/caspase pathway, aging/cell senescence, immune response, oxidative protection)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Transcriptomic analysis found many differentially expressed genes after ELF-EMF exposure (short-term: 439 up-regulated, 874 down-regulated; long-term: 514 up-regulated, 1206 down-regulated; intersection: 238 up, 598 down; using >2-fold or <0.5-fold thresholds). Short-term exposure may decrease male reproductive ability, while long-term exposure had no effect on reproductive ability. QRT-PCR confirmed down-regulation of jra, ark, and decay in males exposed for 1 generation and 72 h; other reported changes included down-regulation of cat and jra and up-regulation of hsp22, totA and hsp22.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure parameters (e.g., field strength, exact frequency) not provided in the abstract",
    "Sample size not reported in the abstract",
    "Mechanistic interpretations are suggested based on gene expression changes rather than direct pathway measurements"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "ELF-EMF",
    "Drosophila melanogaster",
    "transcriptomics",
    "QRT-PCR",
    "differentially expressed genes",
    "reproductive ability",
    "spermatogenesis",
    "caspase pathway",
    "apoptosis",
    "aging",
    "immune response",
    "oxidative protection"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "elF-emf",
      "weight": 0.6,
      "reason": "Study explicitly examines extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) exposure effects in vivo."
    },
    {
      "slug": "animal-studies",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "In vivo animal/insect model (male Drosophila melanogaster) assessing gene expression and reproduction outcomes."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2013.10.004
PubMed: 24157427

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