Sandbox Reserved 1502: Difference between revisions

The 3lpt is an integrase of the HIV, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. An integrase is an enzyme produced by a retrovirus to integrate its genetic material into the DNA of the infected cell. It is one of three enzymes of HIV, the others being the Reverse Transcriptase and the Protease.

 

The catalytic core domain contains three acidic residues, the D,D-35-E motif, comprising residues Asp64, Asp116, and Glu152. By analogy with models of catalysis by DNA polymerases, it has been proposed that coordination of divalent metal ion to these residues plays a key role in catalysis. The catalytic residues Asp64, Asp116, and Glu152 of HIV integrase are in close proximity, coordinate divalent metal ion, and define the active site. The residues comprising the active site region exhibit considerable flexibility. That suggests that binding of DNA substrate is required to impose the precise configuration of residues that are required for catalysis.