The assembly of phage φ29 occurs by a single pathway, and the DNA protein (DNA-gp3) of 'packaging intermediates' can be obtained after DNase I interruption of in vitro complementation. A broad spectrum of DNA molecules of variable length was isolated from DNase I-treated proheads. Restriction endonuclease EcoRI digestion and electrophoretic analysis of these DNA molecules suggested that DNA-gp3 packaging was oriented with respect to the physical map and was a complex process. Proteinase K-treated exogenous DNA was not packaged. When exogenous DNA-gp3 was predigested with the restriction endonucleases BstEII, EcoRI, HpaI, and HpaII, the left-end fragments ranging in size from 8 to 0.9 megadaltons, were selectively and efficiently packaged. During in vivo and in vitro assembly, DNA-gp3 is packaged into proheads, the 'core-scaffolding' protein gp7 exits from the particles, and the DNA-filled heads assume the angular morphology of phage φ29. The packaging of a 4.1-megadalton DNA-gp3 left-end fragment (one third of the genome) resulted in the exit of gp7 and the transition to angularity.
