Integration of adenovirus type 2 DNA at a limited number of cellular sites in productively infected cells.

Several experimental findings supported the notion that adenovirus type 2 DNA is covalently linked to cellular DNA in productively infected human cells. Although the significance of this linkage for the process of viral replication is unknown, the recombination of viral DNA with host DNA may simply reflect the efficacy of the recombination systems in mammalian cells. In this report, evidence is presented for the existence of selective sites of recombination between viral and host DNAs. These sites are presumably located in repetitive sequences of cellular DNA. All parts of the viral genome appear to be represented in the recombinant form.