It is being increasingly used in molecular biology for multiple displacement DNA amplification procedures, and has a number of features that make it particularly suitable for this application.
[1] Each 5' end is covalently linked to a terminal protein, which is essential in the replication process by acting as a primer for the viral DNA polymerase.
[2] Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate cleavage that occurs as part of the polymerization process probably supplies the energy required for this unwinding mechanism.
Proofreading activity conferred by the exonuclease domain was demonstrated by showing the preferential excision of a mismatched nucleotide from the 3' terminus of the newly synthesized strand.
[5] Φ29 polymerase enzyme is already used in multiple displacement amplification (MDA) procedures (including in a number of commercial kits) whereby fragments tens of kilobases in length can be produced from non-specific hexameric primers annealing at intervals along the genome.