Soluble extracts of adenovirus-infected HeLa cell nuclei support DNA replication on exogenous adenovirus DNA templates. Conditions of synthesis using both wild-type and temperature-sensitive extracts have been defined. Nuclear extracts prepared from cells permissively infected with the adenovirus mutant H5ts125 expressed the temperature-sensitive phenotype and could be inactivated at 37 degrees C in vitro. These extracts were completely complemented by the addition of wild-type adenovirus DNA binding protein but not by H5ts125 DNA binding protein. Enhancement by binding protein in the mutant extracts represents replication, as demonstrated by the production of full-sized products and orderly chain elongation originating, as in vivo, at both ends of the linear DNA. Replicative synthesis required the 5'-terminal protein bound covalently to template DNA and could be inhibited by denaturation of this 55,000-dalton protein. Various inhibitors of eukaryotic DNA polymerases, such as aphidicolin and 2',3'-dideoxythymidine triphosphate, inhibited replication of exogenous adenovirus templates in this system as they do in previously reported systems that only elongate endogenous replicating intermediates.