Genetic profiling of rat gliomas and cardiac schwannomas from life-time radiofrequency radiation exposure study using a targeted next-generation sequencing gene panel

Authors: Brooks AM, Vornoli A, Kovi RC, Ton TVT, Xu M, Mashal A, Tibaldi E, Gnudi F, Li JL, Sills RC, Bucher JR, Mandrioli D, Belpoggi F, Pandiri AR

Year: 2024 Jan 17

Category: Oncology, Molecular Genetics, EMF Bioeffects

Journal: PLoS One

Institution: Ramazzini Institute, Italy

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296699

URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296699

Abstract

Overview

The study investigates the cancer hazard associated with lifetime exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) in Sprague Dawley rats at the Ramazzini Institute, Italy. It specifically focuses on increased incidences of gliomas and cardiac schwannomas, rare tumors that pose significant concern for both animal and potentially human health.

Purpose and Methods

Researchers examined the genetic alterations in RFR-induced rat tumors using a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel designed for rat orthologs of 23 human glioma-related genes. Single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions/deletions (indels) were characterized and compared to alterations in the COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) database.

Findings

  • Rat gliomas resulting from lifetime RFR exposure histologically resemble low grade human gliomas.
  • No IDH1 p.R132 or IDH2 p.R172 hotspot mutations—common in human gliomas—were detected in the rat tumors.
  • About 25% of mutations in these rat tumors correspond to homologs of human cancer genes.
  • The genetic profile is mainly wild-type for IDH mutations, aligning with a subset of aggressive human gliomas.
  • Some genes such as Tp53, Cdkn2a, Erbb2, Chek2, Kras, and Pik3r1 in rats harbor multiple alterations with potential relevance to human cancer.

Implications

The study demonstrates a clear link between lifetime exposure to low-dose far field RFR (such as from cellular telephone communications) and increased risk of particular brain and heart tumors in rats, with several mutations observed relevant to human cancer genes. Notably, these findings warrant caution regarding chronic EMF exposure due to carcinogenic potential as observed in animal models, highlighting the need for ongoing research into EMF health risks and genetic mechanisms.

Conclusion

Targeted NGS panels based on human cancer driver gene orthologs are valuable tools for evaluating the translational relevance of rodent tumor findings. Further refinement of these panels and whole-genome analyses are recommended to improve the estimation of cancer hazards due to EMF exposure in humans and animals.

radiofrequency radiation gliomas cardiac schwannomas rat study cancer genetics EMF exposure next-generation sequencing
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