Biological activity of polyoma viral DNA in mice and hamsters.

The biological activity of polyoma viral DNA was evaluated in mice and hamsters. Viral DNA administered parenterally is about 4 to 5 logs less efficient than polyoma virions in establishing infection in mice. Supercoiled viral DNA was infectious for mice after parenteral administration, giving mean infective doses of 10(-3) to 10(-4) microgram. However, animals fed microgram quantities of polyoma DNA I did not become infected. Linearization of viral DNA with R.EcoRI or R.BamHI, which are single-cut enzymes cleaving in the early and late regions of the genome, respectively, reduced the infectivity for mice approximately fivefold. Approximately 10% of newborn hamsters inoculated intraperitoneally with polyoma DNA I developed tumors. In contrast, the same amount of viral DNA which had been cleaved in the early region with R.EcoRI induced tumors in 50% of inoculated hamsters.