Induction of morphological transformation in BALB/3T3 mouse embryo cells by okadaic acid

Okadaic acid is produced by several types of dinoflagellates (marine plankton) and has been implicated as a causative agent of diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning. Okadaic acid, a known tumour promoter in vivo, has been shown to promote morphological transformation of carcinogen-initiated BALB/3T3 cells. This study shows that okadaic acid is capable of inducing morphological transformation of BALB/3T3 cells in the absence of an initiator.