1. Zhao T, Zou S, Knapp P. 2007. Exposure to cell phone radiation up-regulates apoptosis genes
in primary cultures of neurons and astrocytes. Neuroscience Letters 412(1): 34-38.
Apoptosis is a cellular suicide mechanism that occurs in mammalian cells during
normal development and also as a response to situations of injury or disease. Caspases, a
family of cysteine proteases, have been identified as important effectors of the intrinsic cell
death machinery. Astrocytes are star shaped glial cells that provide nourishment to neurons.
The purpose of this research was to investigate whether expression of genes related to cell
death pathways are dysregulated (interrupted) in primary cultured neurons and astrocytes
by exposure to a working Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) cell phone at a
frequency of 1900 MHz. The primary cultures were exposed for 2 hours, and then an array
analysis and a real-time PCR was used to show up-regulation of caspase-2, caspase-6, and
apoptosis associated speck-like protein containing a card (Asc) gene expression in neurons
and astrocytes. It was concluded that even relatively short-term exposure to cell phone
radiofrequency emissions can up-regulate elements of apoptotic pathways in cells derived from
the brain causing their death, and that neurons appear to be more sensitive to this effect than
astrocytes.