HIV integrase is an 31 kd
protein produced from the the C-terminal portion of the Pol gene product. The integrase protein contains three domains: an N-terminal HH-CC
zinc finger domain believed to be partially responsible for multimerization, a central catalytic domain and an C-terminal
DNA binding domain. Integrase is responsible for the integration of proviral DNA into the host genome, which is essential for HIV replication. Integrase, therefore, remains a promising potential target for new anti-HIV therapeutics.
See also: retrovirus