Integrase

Retroviral integrase (IN) is an enzyme produced by a retrovirus (such as HIV) that enables its genetic material to be integrated into the DNA of the infected cell. Retroviral INs are not to be confused with phage integrases, such as λ phage integrase (Int) (see site-specific recombination).

IN is a key component in the retroviral pre-integration complex (PIC).

Structure

All retroviral IN proteins contain three canonical domains, connected by flexible linkers:

Crystal and NMR structures of the individual domains and 2-domain constructs of integrases from HIV-1, HIV-2, SIV, and Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) have been reported, with the first structures determined in 1994.

Biochemical data and structural data suggest that retroviral IN functions as a tetramer (dimer-of-dimers). All three domains are important for multimerisation and viral DNA binding. Early in 2010, scientists solved the crystal structure of IN from prototype foamy virus (PFV) assembled on viral DNA ends.