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。


逆转录病毒整合酶是病毒编码的专门重组酶，可催化病毒 DNA 插入宿主细胞的 DNA，这是病毒繁殖所必需的过程。自从 1964 年 Howard Temin 首次提出逆转录病毒 DNA 整合形式（原病毒）的存在以来，我们已经学到了很多东西。最初的研究集中在禽类和鼠类病毒 DNA 整合的遗传学和生物化学上，但发现的速度缓慢随着技术的进步，以及大量研究人员的涌入，重点关注人类免疫缺陷病毒，这种病毒的数量大幅增加。我们首先简要介绍一些最早发现的科学景观，并总结导致我们目前对整合生物化学的理解的研究。接下来是对最近整合酶结构分析的更详细说明，因为它们提供了对酶功能的宝贵见解并提出了重要的新问题。