Infection of primary African green monkey cells with SV40 monomeric and dimeric DNA

Primary African green monkey cells were infected with purified monomeric and dimeric SV40 DNA. The main covalently closed circular DNA synthesized after infection with monomers were SV40 monomers, whereas after infection with dimers predominantly dimeric SV40 DNA was synthesized. This result demonstrates that SV40 dimeric DNA can replicate and argues against a dimeric intermediate in the normal replication of SV40 DNA.