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The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 27033

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Massimo Maffei

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Guest Editor

Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Quarello 15/a, 10135 Turin, Italy
Interests: astrobiology; plant interactions with the surrounding environment; plant–insect interactions; plant responses to varying magnetic fields; metabolomics and transcriptomics of secondary plant metabolites and related genes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Margaret Ahmad

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Guest Editor

Photobiology Research Group, Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, 7 Quai St. Bernard, 75005 Paris, France
Interests: cryptochrome photoreceptors in plants and animals; photomorphogenesis in plants; effects of magnetic fields on plants and animals; biomedical applications of magnetic fields; effects of radiofrequency fields in plants and animals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Earth’s magnetic field or geomagnetic field (GMF) is an environmental component of our planet, and changes in GMF intensity have been shown to influence many biological processes. Plants show both light-dependent and light-independent responses to varying magnetic fields (MFs), while birds use variations in the GMF to orient during migrations. Three different mechanisms of magnetoperception have been described: a mechanism involving radical pairs (i.e., magnetically sensitive chemical intermediates that are formed by the photoexcitation of cryptochrome), which has been demonstrated both in animals and in plants; the presence of MF sensory receptors present in cells containing ferromagnetic particles, as has been shown in magnetotactic bacteria; and the detection of minute electric fields by electroreceptors in the ampullae of Lorenzini in elasmobranch animals. The theory underlying the radical pair mechanism predicts that MFs that are similar in strength to the GMF are too weak to trigger cellular biochemical reactions; however, these MFs are able to interact with short-lived reaction intermediates that affect the reaction rates of biochemical reactions. Examples include photoreceptors (e.g., cryptochromes) and redox reactions that can be initiated by metabolic factors. This modulation of cryptochrome signaling and/or redox reactions can alter reactive oxygen species synthesis in the cells.

The primary aims of this Special Issue on "The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms" are to present information on magnetoreception and magnetoperception by exploring biochemical, molecular and physiological aspects of living organisms’ responses to varying MFs, from below GMF values to high-intensity MFs.

Prof. Dr. Massimo Maffei
Dr. Margaret Ahmad
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

magnetic fields
geomagnetic field
magnetoreception
magnetoperception
plant physiology
plant molecular biology
metabolomics
plant growth and development
phtotoreceptors
cryptochrome
radical pair mechanism
reactive oxygen species
photosynthesis
germination
flowering time

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 2873 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Geomagnetic Field (GMF) Is Necessary for Black Garden Ant (Lasius niger L.) Foraging and Modulates Orientation Potentially through Aminergic Regulation and MagR Expression

by Giuseppe Mannino, Luca Pietro Casacci, Giorgia Bianco Dolino, Giuseppe Badolato, Massimo Emilio Maffei and Francesca Barbero

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(5), 4387; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24054387 - 23 Feb 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2430

Abstract

The geomagnetic field (GMF) can affect a wide range of animal behaviors in various habitats, primarily providing orientation cues for homing or migratory events. Foraging patterns, such as those implemented by Lasius niger, are excellent models to delve into the effects of GMF on orientation abilities. In this work, we assessed the role of GMF by comparing the L. niger foraging and orientation performance, brain biogenic amine (BA) contents, and the expression of genes related to the magnetosensory complex and reactive oxygen species (ROS) of workers exposed to near-null magnetic fields (NNMF, ~40 nT) and GMF (~42 µT). NNMF affected workers’ orientation by increasing the time needed to find the food source and return to the nest. Moreover, under NNMF conditions, a general drop in BAs, but not melatonin, suggested that the lower foraging performance might be correlated to a decrease in locomotory and chemical perception abilities, potentially driven by dopaminergic and serotoninergic regulations, respectively. The variation in the regulation of genes related to the magnetosensory complex in NNMF shed light on the mechanism of ant GMF perception. Overall, our work provides evidence that the GMF, along with chemical and visual cues, is necessary for the L. niger orientation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)

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23 pages, 5491 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Geomagnetic Field (GMF) Is Required for Lima Bean Photosynthesis and Reactive Oxygen Species Production

by Ambra S. Parmagnani, Nico Betterle, Giuseppe Mannino, Stefano D’Alessandro, Fabio F. Nocito, Kristina Ljumovic, Gianpiero Vigani, Matteo Ballottari and Massimo E. Maffei

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2896; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms24032896 - 02 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1907

Abstract

Plants evolved in the presence of the Earth’s magnetic field (or geomagnetic field, GMF). Variations in MF intensity and inclination are perceived by plants as an abiotic stress condition with responses at the genomic and metabolic level, with changes in growth and developmental processes. The reduction of GMF to near null magnetic field (NNMF) values by the use of a triaxial Helmholtz coils system was used to evaluate the requirement of the GMF for Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) photosynthesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The leaf area, stomatal density, chloroplast ultrastructure and some biochemical parameters including leaf carbohydrate, total carbon, protein content and δ¹³C were affected by NNMF conditions, as were the chlorophyll and carotenoid levels. RubisCO activity and content were also reduced in NNMF. The GMF was required for the reaction center’s efficiency and for the reduction of quinones. NNMF conditions downregulated the expression of the MagR homologs PlIScA2 and PlcpIScA, implying a connection between magnetoreception and photosynthetic efficiency. Finally, we showed that the GMF induced a higher expression of genes involved in ROS production, with increased contents of both H₂O₂ and other peroxides. Our results show that, in Lima bean, the GMF is required for photosynthesis and that PlIScA2 and PlcpIScA may play a role in the modulation of MF-dependent responses of photosynthesis and plant oxidative stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)

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10 pages, 1497 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Intermittent ELF-MF Induce an Amplitude-Window Effect on Umbilical Cord Blood Lymphocytes

by Lucián Zastko, Leonardo Makinistian, Andrea Tvarožná and Igor Belyaev

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(22), 14391; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms232214391 - 19 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1321

Abstract

In a previous study of the effects of intermittent extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MF) on umbilical cord blood lymphocytes (UCBL), we evaluated MF amplitudes between 6 µT and 24 µT and found an effect only for those below 13 µT. This suggested the existence of an amplitude window. In this brief communication, we further tested this hypothesis. UCBLs from healthy newborns were isolated and exposed for 72 h to an intermittent ELF-MF (triangular, 7.8 Hz, 250 s ON/250 s OFF) with 6 different amplitudes between 3 µT and 12 µT, utilizing an oblong coil. Percentage of viable, early apoptotic (EA), and late apoptotic/necrotic (LAN) cells were determined by flow cytometry. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined at 1 h and 3 h of the exposure. Like in our previous work, neither EA, nor LAN, nor ROS were statistically significantly affected by the intermittent ELF-MF. However, the percentage of viable cells was decreased by exposure to the fields with intensities of 6.5 µT and 12 µT (p < 0.05; and p = 0.057 for 8.5 µT). ELF-MF decreased the percentage of viable cells for fields down to 6.5 µT, but not for 5 µT, 4 µT, or 3 µT. Combined with our previous findings, the results reported here indicate an amplitude window effect between 6 µT and 13 µT. The obtained data are in line with a notion of amplitude and frequency windows, which request scanning of both amplitude and frequency while studying the ELF-MF effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)

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18 pages, 2624 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regulatory and Enterotoxin Gene Expression and Enterotoxins Production in Staphylococcus aureus FRI913 Cultures Exposed to a Rotating Magnetic Field and trans-Anethole

by Paweł Kwiatkowski, Aleksandra Tabiś, Karol Fijałkowski, Helena Masiuk, Łukasz Łopusiewicz, Agata Pruss, Monika Sienkiewicz, Marcin Wardach, Mateusz Kurzawski, Sebastian Guenther, Jacek Bania, Barbara Dołęgowska and Iwona Wojciechowska-Koszko

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(11), 6327; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23116327 - 06 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2101

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the influence of a rotating magnetic field (RMF) of two different frequencies (5 and 50 Hz) on the expression of regulatory (agrA, hld, rot) and staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE—sea, sec, sel) genes as well as the production of SEs (SEA, SEC, SEL) by the Staphylococcus aureus FRI913 strain cultured on a medium supplemented with a subinhibitory concentration of trans-anethole (TA). Furthermore, a theoretical model of interactions between the bacterial medium and bacterial cells exposed to RMF was proposed. Gene expression and SEs production were measured using quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA techniques, respectively. Based on the obtained results, it was found that there were no significant differences in the expression of regulatory and SE genes in bacteria simultaneously cultured on a medium supplemented with TA and exposed to RMF at the same time in comparison to the control (unexposed to TA and RMF). In contrast, when the bacteria were cultured on a medium supplemented with TA but were not exposed to RMF or when they were exposed to RMF of 50 Hz (but not to TA), a significant increase in agrA and sea transcripts as compared to the unexposed control was found. Moreover, the decreased level of sec transcripts in bacteria cultured without TA but exposed to RMF of 50 Hz was also revealed. In turn, a significant increase in SEA and decrease in SEC and SEL production was observed in bacteria cultured on a medium supplemented with TA and simultaneously exposed to RMFs. It can be concluded, that depending on SE and regulatory genes expression as well as production of SEs, the effect exerted by the RMF and TA may be positive (i.e., manifests as the increase in SEs and/or regulatory gene expression of SEs production) or negative (i.e., manifests as the reduction in both aforementioned features) or none. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)

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12 pages, 1612 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hypomagnetic Field Induces the Production of Reactive Oxygen Species and Cognitive Deficits in Mice Hippocampus

by Lanxiang Tian, Yukai Luo, Aisheng Zhan, Jie Ren, Huafeng Qin and Yongxin Pan

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(7), 3622; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23073622 - 26 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5346

Abstract

Previous studies have found that hypomagnetic field (HMF) exposure impairs cognition behaviors in animals; however, the underlying neural mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction are unclear. The hippocampus plays important roles in magnetoreception, memory, and spatial navigation in mammals. Therefore, the hippocampus may be the key region in the brain to reveal its neural mechanisms. We recently reported that long-term HMF exposure impairs adult hippocampal neurogenesis and cognition through reducing endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in adult neural stem cells that are confined in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampus. In addition to adult neural stem cells, the redox state of other cells in the hippocampus is also an important factor affecting the functions of the hippocampus. However, it is unclear whether and how long-term HMF exposure affects ROS levels in the entire hippocampus (i.e., the dentate gyrus (DG) and ammonia horn (CA) regions). Here, we demonstrate that male C57BL/6J mice exposed to 8-week HMF exhibit cognitive impairments. We then found that the ROS levels of the hippocampus were significantly higher in these HMF-exposed mice than in the geomagnetic field (GMF) group. PCR array analysis revealed that the elevated ROS levels were due to HMF-regulating genes that maintain the redox balance in vivo, such as Nox4, Gpx3. Since high levels of ROS may cause hippocampal oxidative stress, we suggest that this is another reason why HMF exposure induces cognitive impairment, besides the hippocampal neurogenesis impairments. Our study further demonstrates that GMF plays an important role in maintaining hippocampal function by regulating the appropriate endogenous ROS levels. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)

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15 pages, 3545 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geomagnetic Field (GMF)-Dependent Modulation of Iron-Sulfur Interplay in Arabidopsis thaliana

by Gianpiero Vigani, Monirul Islam, Viviana Cavallaro, Fabio F. Nocito and Massimo E. Maffei

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(18), 10166; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms221810166 - 21 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2478

Abstract

The geomagnetic field (GMF) is an environmental factor affecting the mineral nutrient uptake of plants and a contributing factor for efficient iron (Fe) uptake in Arabidopsis seedlings. Understanding the mechanisms underlining the impact of the environment on nutrient homeostasis in plants requires disentangling the complex interactions occurring among nutrients. In this study we investigated the effect of GMF on the interplay between iron (Fe) and sulfur (S) by exposing Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown under single or combined Fe and S deficiency, to near-null magnetic field (NNMF) conditions. Mineral analysis was performed by ICP-MS and capillary electrophoresis, whereas the expression of several genes involved in Fe and S metabolism and transport was assayed by qRT-PCR. The results show that NNMF differentially affects (i) the expression of some Fe- and S-responsive genes and (ii) the concentration of metals in plants, when compared with GMF. In particular, we observed that Cu content alteration in plant roots depends on the simultaneous variation of nutrient availability (Fe and S) and MF intensity (GMF and NNMF). Under S deficiency, NNMF-exposed plants displayed variations of Cu uptake, as revealed by the expression of the SPL7 and miR408 genes, indicating that S availability is an important factor in maintaining Cu homeostasis under different MF intensities. Overall, our work suggests that the alteration of metal homeostasis induced by Fe and/or S deficiency in reduced GMF conditions impacts the ability of plants to grow and develop. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)

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Review

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55 pages, 3699 KiB

Open AccessReview

Magnetic Fields and Cancer: Epidemiology, Cellular Biology, and Theranostics

by Massimo E. Maffei

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(3), 1339; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijms23031339 - 25 Jan 2022

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 9606

Abstract

Humans are exposed to a complex mix of man-made electric and magnetic fields (MFs) at many different frequencies, at home and at work. Epidemiological studies indicate that there is a positive relationship between residential/domestic and occupational exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and some types of cancer, although some other studies indicate no relationship. In this review, after an introduction on the MF definition and a description of natural/anthropogenic sources, the epidemiology of residential/domestic and occupational exposure to MFs and cancer is reviewed, with reference to leukemia, brain, and breast cancer. The in vivo and in vitro effects of MFs on cancer are reviewed considering both human and animal cells, with particular reference to the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS). MF application on cancer diagnostic and therapy (theranostic) are also reviewed by describing the use of different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications for the detection of several cancers. Finally, the use of magnetic nanoparticles is described in terms of treatment of cancer by nanomedical applications for the precise delivery of anticancer drugs, nanosurgery by magnetomechanic methods, and selective killing of cancer cells by magnetic hyperthermia. The supplementary tables provide quantitative data and methodologies in epidemiological and cell biology studies. Although scientists do not generally agree that there is a cause-effect relationship between exposure to MF and cancer, MFs might not be the direct cause of cancer but may contribute to produce ROS and generate oxidative stress, which could trigger or enhance the expression of oncogenes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effect of Magnetic Fields on Living Organisms: Biomolecular and Cellular Mechanisms)

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