Reduced oncogenic potential associated with differentiation of the Lucké renal adenocarcinoma.

The Lucké renal adenocarcinoma is a herpesvirus-caused malignancy that afflicts some northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens. The nuclear transplantation technique was developed in that species and it is a procedure which permits the characterization of the potential for differentiation of somatic nuclei. Transplantation of Lucké tumor nuclei into activated and enucleated eggs results in embryonic differentiation which is accompanied by abrogation of the malignant phenotype.