Open AccessHuman immunodeficiency virus integrase directs integration to sites of severe DNA distortion within the nucleosome core.
Author(s) -
Dmitry Pruss,
Frederic D. Bushman,
Alan P. Wolffe
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.91.13.5913
Subject(s) - integrase , nucleosome , dna , biology , histone , genetics
We have examined the consequences of DNA distortion and specific histone-DNA contacts within the nucleosome for integration mediated by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-encoded integrase enzyme. We find that sites of high-frequency integration cluster in the most severely deformed, kinked DNA regions within the nucleosome core. This may reflect either a preference for a wide major groove for association of the integrase or a requirement for target DNA distortion in the DNA strand transfer mechanism. Both the distortion and folding of the target DNA through packaging into nucleosomes may influence the selection of HIV integration sites within the chromosome.