The retroviral integrases are virally encoded, specialized recombinases that catalyze the insertion of viral DNA into the host cell's DNA, a process that is essential for virus propagation. We have learned a great deal since the existence of an integrated form of retroviral DNA (the provirus) was first proposed by Howard Temin in 1964. Initial studies focused on the genetics and biochemistry of avian and murine virus DNA integration, but the pace of discovery increased substantially with advances in technology, and an influx of investigators focused on the human immunodeficiency virus. We begin with a brief account of the scientific landscape in which some of the earliest discoveries were made, and summarize research that led to our current understanding of the biochemistry of integration. A more detailed account of recent analyses of integrase structure follows, as they have provided valuable insights into enzyme function and raised important new questions.

中文翻译：

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逆转录病毒整合酶：过去和现在。

逆转录病毒整合是由病毒编码的专门重组酶，可催化病毒DNA插入宿主细胞的DNA中，这是病毒繁殖所必需的过程。自1964年Howard Temin首次提出整合形式的逆转录病毒DNA（前病毒）以来，我们已经学到了很多东西。最初的研究集中在禽和鼠病毒DNA整合的遗传学和生物化学上，但是发现的步伐随着技术的进步，大量增加，并且大量研究人员集中在人类免疫缺陷病毒上。我们首先简要介绍一些最早发现的科学领域，然后总结一些研究，这些研究使我们对整合的生物化学有了新的认识。