Effect of a Pulsed Electromagnetic Field on Plasma Membrane Protein Glycosylation

Abstract

We studied the effect of exposing cells (human fibroblasts and a rat osteosarcoma cell line) to a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on the incorporation of [³H]glucosamine into plasma membrane glycoproteins. Cells (5×10⁵) were allowed to recover for 24 hours following trypsinization, [³H]glucosamine-containing medium was added, and the dishes were exposed for 48 hours to a PEMF. Plasma membranes isolated from these cells showed approximately a 100% increase in radioactivity incorporation as compared with control cells not exposed to a PEMF. A large part of the increased incorporation appeared to be the result of adding anionic constituents to existing oligosaccharide chains, rather than the result of alterations in the basic classes of oligosaccharides synthesized by the cell. These results suggest that PEMF-induced effects on protein glycosylation may mediate, in part, the alterations in cell behavior that occur in response to an electrical field.