Oligomeric HIV-1 integrase structures reveal functional plasticity for intasome assembly and RNA binding.

ABSTRACT: Integrase (IN) performs dual essential roles during HIV-1 replication. During ingress, IN functions within an oligomeric "intasome" assembly to catalyze viral DNA integration into host chromatin. During late stages of infection, tetrameric IN binds viral RNA and orchestrates the condensation of ribonucleoprotein complexes into the capsid core. The molecular architectures of HIV-1 IN assemblies that mediate these distinct events remain unknown. Furthermore, the IN tetramer is an important antiviral target for investigational allosteric IN inhibitors. Here, we determined cryo-EM structures of wildtype HIV-1 IN tetramers and intasome hexadecamers. Our structures unveil a remarkable plasticity that leverages IN C-terminal domains and abutting linkers to assemble functionally distinct oligomeri

SUBMITTER: Jing T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12552619 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature