The mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of gene transfer.

Transfection can induce chromosome rearrangements, other types of mutations and epigenetic changes in recipient cells. Transfected DNA is degraded, mutated and recombined much more frequently than is endogenous chromatin. There is evidence that foreign DNA can interact with homologous cellular sequences, thus increasing the chances that these sequences will undergo mutation. In addition, there are several steps in the process of transfection during which a subpopulation of cells could be selected.