Gene expression changes in the pituitary gland of rats exposed to electromagnetic pulses / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>We examined alterations in the expression of tumorigenesis-related genes in the pituitary gland of rats exposed to electromagnetic pulses (EMP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The global gene expression profiles of the pituitary gland in EMP-exposed and control groups were detected by cDNA microarray analysis. We then validated and further investigated the reduced expression of two tumorigenesis-related genes, Pten, and Jund, by assessing their mRNA and protein expression by quantitative real-time-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry in the pituitary gland of rats 6 months after exposure to EMP.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>EMP exposure induced genome-wide gene expression changes in the rat pituitary gland. There was decreased expression of the Pten and Jund mRNAs and proteins in EMP-exposed rats compared with in unexposed control animals.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EMP exposure alters the expression of tumorigenesis-related genes in the pituitary gland. These tumorigenesis-related genes are potentially involved in the development of pituitary gland tumors in rats.</p>