Transfection with replicating DNA from the temperate Bacillus bacteriophage phi 105 and with T4-ligase treated phi105 DNA: the importance in transfection of being longer than genome-length.

Replicating phage DNA extracted from Bacillus subtilis infected with phage phi 105 has a higher activity in transfection than mature DNA. By heteroduplex analysis it was shown that this DNA contains concatemeric molecules. Concatemers, constructed in vitro by treatment of mature DNA with T4-ligase also have an increased activity in transfection. DNA showing an increased activity in transfection does not have a requirement for more than one molecule per transfection event as is typically found for transfection with mature phi 105 DNA. An explanation is given for this difference suggesting that the structure of the ends of the transfecting molecules play an important role intransfection.