Molecular analysis of two yeast genes whose expression is induced by power line electromagnetic fields

It has been suggested that 60 Hz electromagnetic fields (EMF) from power lines might present a health hazard to humans. Toward understanding the molecular mechanisms, two genes--EMF-A and EMF-B--had been tentatively identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as being responsive to EMF. The aim of this thesis was to confirm that EMF-A and EMF-B were convincingly and reproducibly inducible by 60 Hz EMF. The results confirmed that expression of both genes was induced following exposure to 60 Hz EMF. DNA sequence analysis of these genes showed a nearly perfect match to two Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes in the GenBank DNA database. The available data indicates that while both genes have been previously identified in other laboratories, precise identification of their biological functions has not been established. The cloned genes will provide valuable molecular probes for the ongoing research into the biological effects of power line EMF.