Document 0688 DOCN M9590688 TI On the structural determinants of hiv integration into chromatin. DT 9509 AU Pruss FD; Bushman D; Wolffe AP; NICHD/NIH, Bethesda MD SO NIH Conf Retroviral Integrase. 1995 Jan 19-20;:(Participants' abstracts and posters, abstract no. 10). Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE AIDS/95920031 AB Integration of the HIV DNA into the human chromosomes is a necessary step in the viral lifecycle. Nucleosomal DNA is known to be accepted and even preferred as the target by the viral integration machinery. We used purified HIV integrase, a synthetic LTR-like substrate and a number of nucleosomal and free DNA integration targets of various defined structures to investigate the molecular basis of selectivity of the integration reaction vitro. We show that HIV integrase preferentially targets bent DNAs. Integration events localize on the outer side of the bends, i.e. where the target DNA is bent away from the enzyme. Both intrinsic and histone-indiced DNA bending affects integration in the same way. More severely distorted DNA segments afford more integration events. Flexible DNA sequences are relatively preferred by the integrase, even in unfavorable steric surrounding. Rigid DNA sequences are underutilized even after being bent within the nucleosomes. The remarkable DNA structure sensitivity and virtual absence of sequence specificity of the integration make the integrase a unique footprinting tool. DE Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DRUG THERAPY Antiviral Agents/THERAPEUTIC USE *DNA Nucleotidyltransferases/*ANTAGONISTS & INHIB Enzyme Inhibitors/CHEMISTRY/*PHARMACOLOGY HIV-1/*ENZYMOLOGY Models, Molecular Recombinant Proteins Structure-Activity Relationship MEETING ABSTRACT SOURCE: National Library of Medicine. NOTICE: This material may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).