What is this trying to say? That the actual "blueprint" plasmid DNA -- from which the vaccine RNA is generated -- leaks into the vaccine during the manufacturing process? Or is it saying that other DNA from the bacterial vector (<i>Escherichia coli</i>) gets into the vaccine?<p>Ok, say that happened. What would the consequences be?<p>AIUI, both vaccines use a special lipid "bubble" around the RNA (and I suppose this accidental DNA) to get it through cell walls. Once in the cell, the RNA then gets to work, instructing the cell to start manufacturing various proteins from the COVID-19 virus -- most notably the spike protein. But suppose that some DNA also makes it inside. What happens to it? Hypothetically, can it encounter DNA polymerase there and start replicating? Would it be transcribed to RNA and would it start making proteins? I understand that extrachromosomal DNA (mostly mitochondrial DNA) does exist and is heritable, almost only from the mother. Would this get into oocytes?<p>But presumably DNA from viruses is not hugely different, and we constantly encounter viruses. And yes there's some gene transfer that happens occasionally but somehow this isn't generally a big deal? (I guess sometimes it results in cancer? I'm assuming that's the mechanism behind, say, HPV?)<p>So maybe some kind of long term consequences are <i>conceivable</i>, but, probably not, thanks to our immune systems? So maybe this would cause some inflammation until the immune system mopped it up, and that'd be all?<p>I'm just trying to think this through. I'd like to hear spelled out exactly what the implications supposedly are. I don't just want to hear "Booo! Scary DNA!", I want to hear a plausible explanation for why it might matter.