A Peptide Derived from Lens Epithelium–Derived Growth Factor Stimulates HIV-1 DNA Integration and Facilitates Intasome Structural Studies

The low solubility and aggregation properties of HIV-1 integrase (IN) are major obstacles for biochemical and structural studies. The lens epithelium–derived growth factor (LEDGF) is a cellular factor that binds IN and tethers preintegration complexes to chromatin before integration. The LEDGF also stimulates HIV-1 IN DNA strand transfer activity and improves its solubility in vitro. We show that these properties are conferred by a short peptide...