The molecular biology of HIV integrase

Integration of viral DNA into cellular DNA is an essential step in the replication cycle of HIV and other retroviruses. The first antiviral drugs that target integrase, the viral enzyme that catalyzes DNA integration, have recently been approved and more are in the pipeline. These drugs bind to an intermediate in DNA integration called the intasome, in which a pair of viral DNA ends are synapsed by a tetramer of integrase, rather than free...