Effect of thyroxine on induction of Lucké renal adenocarcinomas in Lucké tumor herpesvirus-infected leopard frog tadpoles.

The incidence of Lucké renal adenocarcinomas and premalignant kidney lesions in leopard frog tadpoles (Rana pipiens) was determined at specified ages and metamorphic stages following embryonic infection with the Lucké tumor herpesvirus. Tumor incidence increased with time elapsed after virus infection but was not strictly correlated with advanced metamorphic stages. When the rate of tadpole development was altered by thiourea or thyroxine treatment, the onset of tumor development was unchanged. These results show that neither increased nor decreased thyroxine levels affect the induction of Lucké tumors.