No mutagenic or recombinogenic effects of mobile phone fields at 900 MHz detected in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Both actively growing and resting cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisi ae were exposed to 900-MHz fields that closely matched the Global System fo r Mobile Communication (GSM) pulsed modulation format signals for mobile ph ones at specific absorption rates (SAR)of 0.13 and 1.3 W/kg. Two identical anechoic test chambers were constructed to perform concurrent control and t est experiments under well-controlled exposure conditions. Using specific t est strains, we examined the genotoxic potential of mobile phone fields, al one and in combination, with a known genotoxic compound, the alkylating age nt methyl methansulfonate. Mutation rates were monitored by two test system s, a widely used gene-specific forward mutation assay at CAN1 and a wide-ra nge assay measuring the induction of respiration-deficient (petite) clones that have lost their mitochondrial function. In addition, two further assay s measured the recombinogenic effect of mobile phone fields to detect possi ble effects on genomic stability: First, an intrachromosomal, deletion-form ation assay previously developed for genotoxic screening; and second, an in tragenic recombination assay in the ADE2 gene. Fluctuation tests failed to detect any significant effect of mobile phone fields on forward mutation ra tes at CAN1, on the frequency of petite formation, on rates of intrachromos omal deletion formation, or on rates of intragenic recombination in the abs ence or presence of the genotoxic agent methyl methansulfonate. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.