Recombinant f1 phage particles containing cDNA of the human urokinase type-plasminogen activator (u-PA) under the control of the simian virus 40 (SV40) early promoter were used for transfection of monkey COS-7 cells using a DEAE dextran method. The fibrinolytic activity of u-PA was detected in the culture medium of the 10(5) cells transfected with the phage particles containing single-stranded (ss) DNA of more than 0.2 ng. This finding will lead us to develop a simple and efficient method for expression cloning using mammalian cells.