0.263 terahertz irradiation induced genes expression changes in Caenorhabditis elegans
Sen Shang,
Fei Gao,
Qi Zhang,
Tao Song,
Wei Wang,
Diwei Liu,
Yubin Gong,
Xiaoyun Lu
Affiliations
Sen Shang
Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, P.R. China
Fei Gao
Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, P.R. China
Qi Zhang
Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, P.R. China
Tao Song
Terahertz Science and Technology Research Center, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Wei Wang
Terahertz Science and Technology Research Center, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Diwei Liu
Terahertz Science and Technology Research Center, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Yubin Gong
Terahertz Science and Technology Research Center, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Xiaoyun Lu
Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, Shaanxi, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Summary: The biosafety of terahertz (THz) waves has emerged as a new area of concern with the gradual application of terahertz radiation. Even though many studies have been conducted to investigate the influence of THz radiation on living organisms, the biological effects of terahertz waves have not yet been fully revealed. In this study, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) was used to evaluate the biological consequences of whole-body exposure to 0.263 THz irradiation. The integration of transcriptome sequencing and behavioral tests of C. elegans revealed that high-power THz irradiation damaged the epidermal ultrastructures, inhibited the expression of the cuticle collagen genes, and impaired the movement of C. elegans. Moreover, the genes involved in the immune system and the neural system were dramatically down-regulated by high-power THz irradiation. Our findings offer fresh perspectives on the biological impacts of high-power THz radiation that could cause epidermal damage and provoke a systemic response.
