The chromosome of SV40 virus is a single, double-stranded DNA molecule of approximately 5500 base pairs. This DNA can enter into the nuclei of whole cells and be transcribed to produce functional messenger RNA, replicate and produce new virus. Knowledge of the structure of the DNA would provide information about the functions of a certain type of nuclear DNA in animal cells, and detailed structural information can be obtained for this DNA in a way that cannot be obtained for any host nuclear DNA that encodes protein sequences. For example, one can obtain precise sequences about the regions in DNA beyond the 3′ and 5′ termini of cytoplasmic messenger RNA. One can determine directly from the DNA the sequences of those portions of mRNA that are transcribed into relatively stable cytoplasmic RNA, but which lie 5′ to the initiator codon or 3′ to the terminator codon of the mRNA and...
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Dhar et al. (1974) studied this question.