HIV Integrase

HIV integrase is a crucial enzyme used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to integrate its viral DNA into the host cell's genome, an essential step for viral replication and persistence. This enzyme catalyzes the insertion of the viral DNA by first removing two nucleotides from each 3' end of the viral DNA and then facilitating the strand transfer reaction that integrates the viral DNA into the host DNA. Integrase inhibitors are a class of antiretroviral drugs that specifically target this enzyme, effectively blocking the integration process and thereby inhibiting the replication of HIV. These inhibitors are vital components of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), used to treat HIV-infected individuals.