Whole-cell DNA preparations isolated from SC-1 cells chronically infected with N-or B-tropic murine leukemia viruses (MuLV) were tested for infectious activity in an Fv-1n (NIH-3T3) and two Fv-1 b (C57BL/6 and SV-A31) cell cultures. Efficiency of transfection for all DNAs was better in the NIH-3T3 cells than in C57BL/6 or SV-A31 cells; and an [N-tropic MuLVJSC- (Clinton, TN), respectively. All cells used were within 10 passages of the original sources and were grown in Eagle's minimal essential medium containing 10% heat inactivated fetal calf serum, streptomycin (100;g/ml), and penicillin (100 units per ml).DNA Preparations. SC-1 cells were inoculated with N-or B-tropic MuLV at a multiplicity of infection of 1. Forty-eight hours later they showed more than 90% infection by immunofluorescence measurement. After five serial passages in dishes, the chronically infected SC-1 cells were grown to confluency in medium containing hydrocortisone (1 ,uM) and insulin (0.1 international unit/ml) in 6 X 75 cm roller bottles. The cells were harvested by scraping, washed, and used for DNA isolation according to a modification of Marmur's method (12), which includes Pronase digestion, ribonuclease digestion, and extractions with chloroform/isoamyl alcohol, 25:1 (vol/vol), as described (13,11). The final DNA products were dissolved in 15 mM NaCI/1.5 mM Na citrate, pH 7.0, and stored in aliquots at -70°. DNA concentration was measured spectrophotometrically at 260 nm by assuming that 20 A20 units equal 1 mg of DNA. All DNA preparations showed A 2m/A28o ratios of 1.9-2.0.Infectious DNA Assay. The detailed procedure for DNA transfection in mouse cell cultures has been described (11). In this study, all cultures were plated at 2 X 105 cells per 35-mm dish 20 hr prior to DNA inoculation. The cells, with medium removed, were exposed to 0.3 ml of the freshly prepared calcium DNA suspension (14) which contained various doses of sample DNA and also an appropriate amount of calf thymus DNA to maintain a constant DNA concentration of 40 Ag/ml. After 15 min, 3 ml of medium was added and the dishes were placed in a 370 CO2 incubator for an additional 15 hr before DNA was removed by a change to fresh medium. Two to 3 days after DNA inoculation, when the cultures became confluent, the cells were trypsinized and used 1:5 for subculture. Serial Abbreviations: MuLV, murine leukemia virus; PFU, plaque-forming units.