Electromagnetic exposure changes human Schwann cell motility and transcriptomic profile of hearing-loss-related genes

Schwann cells (SCs) are glial cells of the peripheral nervous system with functional plasticity in physio-pathological conditions, such as injury and oncotransformation. Interestingly, human SCs seem to develop, mature, and respond differently to other species to environmental challenges. Recently, concerns have been raised about the expansion of environmental electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the increasing incidence of vestibular schwannoma (VS). We previously demonstrated that SCs respond to EMF by acquiring a state prone to oncotransformation. However, the biodependence of such transformation on the species (rodents versus humans) deserves clarification. Here, we obtained and characterized human SCs, showing that EMF affects proliferation, migration, and transcriptomic profile. The expression of motility proteins increased, while that of cell-to-cell adhesion proteins decreased. The functional clustering of genes differentially expressed matched those involved in hearing loss. In summary, we provide insights into the effects of chronic EMF on human SCs, highlighting its potential role in VS onset.