Suppression of high-density magnetic field (400 mT at 50 Hz)-induced mutations by wild-type p53 expression in human osteosarcoma cells.

Exposure of cultured human osteosarcoma cells (Saos-LP-12) to high-density (400 mT at 50 Hz) extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELFMF) induced mutations in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase gene. Saos-LP-12 cells, which are isolated from parental Saos-2 cells and have a deletion in the coding region of the p53 gene, are introduced to the wild-type (wt) p53 expression plasmid (pOPRSVp53). The mutation in Saos-LP-12 cells was suppressed by expression of the introduced wt p53 gene during 400 mT ELFMF exposure. No marked difference in the mutation spectrum was observed among the treatments of ELFMF [p53 (-)], ELFMF [p53 (+)], and sham exposures. Our findings suggest that wt p53 has a function in suppression of DNA replication errors and/or in maintenance of genomic stability after high-density ELFMF exposure.