Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase Research Articles

Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase Displays Unique Biochemical Activities among Retroviral Integrases.

Integrases of different retroviruses assemble as functional complexes with varying multimers of the protein. Retroviral integrases require a divalent metal cation to perform one-step transesterification catalysis. Tetrameric prototype foamy virus (PFV) intasomes assembled from purified integrase and viral DNA oligonucleotides were characterized for their activity in the presence of different cations. While most retroviral integrases are inactive in calcium, PFV intasomes appear to be uniquely capable of catalysis in calcium. The PFV intasomes also contrast with other retroviral integrases by displaying an inverse correlation of activity with increasing manganese beginning at relatively low concentrations. The intasomes were found to be significantly more active in the presence of chloride co-ions compared to acetate. While HIV-1 integrase appears to commit to a target DNA within 20 s, PFV intasomes do not commit to target DNA during their reaction lifetime. Together, these data highlight the unique biochemical activities of PFV integrase compared to other retroviral integrases.

Retroviral prototype foamy virus intasome binding to a nucleosome target does not determine integration efficiency

Retroviral integrases must navigate host DNA packaged as chromatin during integration of the viral genome. Prototype foamy virus (PFV) integrase (IN) forms a tetramer bound to two viral DNA (vDNA) ends in a complex termed an intasome. PFV IN consists of four domains: the amino terminal extension domain (NED), amino terminal domain (NTD), catalytic core domain (CCD), and carboxyl terminal domain (CTD). The domains of the two inner IN protomers have been visualized, as well as the CCDs of the two outer IN protomers. However, the roles of the amino and carboxyl terminal domains of the PFV intasome outer subunits during integration to a nucleosome target substrate are not clear. We used the well-characterized 601 nucleosome to assay integration activity as well as intasome binding. PFV intasome integration to 601 nucleosomes occurs in clusters at four independent sites. We find that the outer protomer NED and NTD domains have no significant effects on integration efficiency, site selection, or binding. The CTDs of the outer PFV intasome subunits dramatically affect nucleosome binding but have little effect on total integration efficiency. The outer PFV IN CTDs did significantly alter the integration efficiency at one site. Histone tails also significantly affect intasome binding, but have little impact on PFV integration efficiency or site selection. These results indicate that binding to nucleosomes does not correlate with integration efficiency and suggests most intasome-binding events are unproductive.

Dual inhibitor design for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and integrase enzymes: a molecular docking study

HIV-1, a member of Retroviruses’ Lentivirus family, is the causative agent of AIDS. The virus is common throughout the world and leaves the body vulnerable to infections by suppressing the human immune system. Reverse transcriptase and integrase are two of three HIV-1 essential enzymes which perform important virus life cycle functions. In recent years, researchers started to design new inhibitors which could inhibit multiple targets for treatment of AIDS. In respect to this, RT and IN are two enzymes suitable for the development of dual inhibitors. To realize this aim, here we have designed new inhibitors by using approved reverse transcriptase and integrase inhibitors as drug design templates. Totally 426 ligands, which are filtered from 858 ligands by druggability properties were docked to crystal structure of reverse transcriptase and since there was no full-length structure of HIV-1 IN, same ligands were docked to Prototype Foamy Virus integrase structure. From the docking results, B099 was determined to be the best binding ligand to RT enzyme with a binding free energy of −12.63 kcal/mole and B249 was the best ligand for IN enzyme with a score of −19.83 kcal/mole. These binding scores demonstrate that these ligands are more active than Raltegravir for integrase and Rilpivirine for reverse transcriptase which are also used for docking method validation. B205, B214, B233, B242, B246, B249, B253 and B254 are the some of ligands found to have good binding scores for both enzymes and could be considered as new inhibitor candidates as dual inhibitors.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Molecular Insights into the Substrate-Assisted Mechanism of Viral DNA 3'-End Processing in Intasome of Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase from Molecular Dynamic and QM/MM Studies.

Integrases participate in two important steps for virus replication such as 3'-end processing of viral DNA ( vDNA) and nuclear entry of host DNA ( hDNA). In this work, insight into the structural changes in intasome of prototype foamy virus integrase (PFV-IN) complexed with vDNA from classical molecular dynamic (MD) simulations are done. Analysis of the results reveal the existence of alternative conformations of the enzyme active site indicating that the 3'-end processing reaction can occur according to three different pathways and taking place with the possible participation of aspartate 185 of a neighboring phosphate group or involving an internal phosphate group of the substrate. In this work, one of them, the so-called substrate-assisted mechanism was explored by QM/MM methods. The free energy barriers of 34.4 kcal mol-1 for the first and 35.3 kcal mol-1 for the second step of reaction computed with free energy perturbation (FEP) methods at the M06-2X/AMBER level show that 3'-end processing has to proceed via a different mechanism than studied herein. Nevertheless, the obtained results are in good agreement with the experimental observations that the substitution of the key atom for this mechanism, oxygen by sulfur, did not influence the catalysis. Additionally, the obtained mechanism reveals significant similarities to the previously studied substrate-assisted mechanism in twister ribozyme. The possible role of Mg2+ in the active site is discussed.

Prototype foamy virus intasome aggregation is mediated by outer protein domains and prevented by protocatechuic acid

The integrase (IN) enzyme of retrovirus prototype foamy virus (PFV) consists of four domains: amino terminal extension (NED), amino terminus (NTD), catalytic core (CCD), and carboxyl terminus domains (CTD). A tetramer of PFV IN with two viral DNA ends forms the functional intasome. Two inner monomers are catalytically active while the CCDs of the two outer monomers appear to play only structural roles. The NED, NTD, and CTD of the outer monomers are disordered in intasome structures. Truncation mutants reveal that integration to a supercoiled plasmid increases without the outer monomer CTDs present. Deletion of the outer CTDs enhances the lifetime of the intasome compared to full length (FL) IN or deletion of the outer monomer NTDs. High ionic strength buffer or several additives, particularly protocatechuic acid (PCA), enhance the integration of FL intasomes by preventing aggregation. These data confirm previous studies suggesting the disordered outer domains of PFV intasomes are not required for intasome assembly or integration. Instead, the outer CTDs contribute to aggregation of PFV intasomes which may be inhibited by high ionic strength buffer or the small molecule PCA.

Prototype foamy virus integrase is promiscuous for target choice

Retroviruses have two essential activities: reverse transcription and integration. The viral protein integrase (IN) covalently joins the viral cDNA genome to the host DNA. Prototype foamy virus (PFV) IN has become a model of retroviral intasome structure. However, this retroviral IN has not been well-characterized biochemically. Here we compare PFV IN to previously reported HIV-1 IN activities and discover significant differences. PFV IN is able to utilize the divalent cation calcium during strand transfer while HIV-1 IN is not. HIV-1 IN was shown to completely commit to a target DNA within 1 min, while PFV IN is not fully committed after 60 min. These results suggest that PFV IN is more promiscuous compared to HIV-1 IN in terms of divalent cation and target commitment.

Detection and Removal of Nuclease Contamination During Purification of Recombinant Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase.

The integrase (IN) protein of the retrovirus prototype foamy virus (PFV) is a model enzyme for studying the mechanism of retroviral integration. Compared to IN from other retroviruses, PFV IN is more soluble and more amenable to experimental manipulation. Additionally, it is sensitive to clinically relevant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) IN inhibitors, suggesting that the catalytic mechanism of PFV IN is similar to that of HIV-1 IN. IN catalyzes the covalent joining of viral complementary DNA (cDNA) to target DNA in a process called strand transfer. This strand transfer reaction introduces nicks to the target DNA. Analysis of integration reaction products can be confounded by the presence of nucleases that similarly nick DNA. A bacterial nuclease has been shown to co-purify with recombinant PFV IN expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). Here we describe a method to isolate PFV IN from the contaminating nuclease by heparin affinity chromatography. Fractions are easily screened for nuclease contamination with a supercoiled plasmid and agarose gel electrophoresis. PFV IN and the contaminating nuclease display alternative affinities for heparin sepharose allowing a nuclease-free preparation of recombinant PFV IN suitable for bulk biochemical or single molecule analysis of integration.

Detection and Removal of Nuclease Contamination During Purification of Recombinant Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase

Detection and Removal of Nuclease Contamination During Purification of Recombinant Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase

Design, synthesis, and docking studies of new 2-benzoxazolinone derivatives as anti-HIV-1 agents

A new class of 2-benzoxazolinone derivatives was designed and synthesized for its anti-human immunodeficiency virus-1 activity. The benzoxazolinone scaffold could be replaced with catechol moiety in the potent but toxic integrase strand transfer inhibitors. The biological evaluation of the synthesized compounds revealed that all compounds were active against human immunodeficiency virus-1 at 100 μM. It is also found that most of the compounds presented no significant cytotoxicity at concentration of 100 μM. The most potent compound with thiadiazole ring as the linker inhibited the human immunodeficiency virus-1 with 84% rate. Docking of this structure in the active site of prototype foamy virus integrase indicated that the chelation of two Mg2+ cations might be the probable mechanism of the anti-human immunodeficiency virus-1 activity. Our results indicated that the synthesized compounds can provide a very good basis for the development of new anti-human immunodeficiency virus-1 agents.

X-ray crystal structure of the N-terminal region of Moloney murine leukemia virus integrase and its implications for viral DNA recognition.

The retroviral integrase (IN) carries out the integration of a dsDNA copy of the viral genome into the host DNA, an essential step for viral replication. All IN proteins have three general domains, the N-terminal domain (NTD), the catalytic core domain, and the C-terminal domain. The NTD includes an HHCC zinc finger-like motif, which is conserved in all retroviral IN proteins. Two crystal structures of Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) IN N-terminal region (NTR) constructs that both include an N-terminal extension domain (NED, residues 1-44) and an HHCC zinc-finger NTD (residues 45-105), in two crystal forms are reported. The structures of IN NTR constructs encoding residues 1-105 (NTR1-105 ) and 8-105 (NTR8-105 ) were determined at 2.7 and 2.15 Å resolution, respectively and belong to different space groups. While both crystal forms have similar protomer structures, NTR1-105 packs as a dimer and NTR8-105 packs as a tetramer in the asymmetric unit. The structure of the NED consists of three anti-parallel β-strands and an α-helix, similar to the NED of prototype foamy virus (PFV) IN. These three β-strands form an extended β-sheet with another β-strand in the HHCC Zn2+ binding domain, which is a unique structural feature for the M-MuLV IN. The HHCC Zn2+ binding domain structure is similar to that in HIV and PFV INs, with variations within the loop regions. Differences between the PFV and MLV IN NEDs localize at regions identified to interact with the PFV LTR and are compared with established biochemical and virological data for M-MuLV. Proteins 2017; 85:647-656. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Removal of nuclease contamination during purification of recombinant prototype foamy virus integrase

Retroviral infection requires integration of the viral genome into the host genome. Recombinant integrase proteins may be purified following bacterial expression. A bulk biochemical assay of integrase function relies on the conversion of supercoiled plasmids to linear or relaxed circles. Single molecule molecular tweezer assays of integrase also evaluate the conversion of supercoiled DNA to nicked and broken species. A bacterial nuclease that co-purifies with retroviral integrase may affect the quantitation of integration activity in bulk or single molecule assays. During purification of retroviral integrase from bacteria, fractions may be screened for contaminating nuclease activity. In order to efficiently separate the nuclease from integrase, the binding affinities of each protein must differ. We find that a co-purifying nuclease may be efficiently separated from integrase based on heparin affinity, but not ionic affinity.

Comparison of Newly Assembled Full Length HIV-1 Integrase With Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase: Structure-Function Prospective.

BackgroundDrug design against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase through its mechanistic study is of great interest in the area in biological research. The main obstacle in this area is the absence of the full-length crystal structure for HIV-1 integrase to be used as a model. A complete structure, similar to HIV-1 of a prototype foamy virus integrase in complex with DNA, including all conservative residues, is available and has been extensively used in recent investigations.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine whether the above model is precisely representative of HIV-1 integrase. This would critically determine the success of any designed drug using the model in deactivation of integrase and AIDS treatment.Materials and MethodsPrimarily, a new structure for HIV-1 was constructed, using a crystal structure of prototype foamy virus as the starting structure. The constructed structure of HIV-1 integrase was simultaneously simulated with a prototype foamy virus integrase on a separate occasion.ResultsOur results indicate that the HIV-1 system behaves differently from the prototype foamy virus in terms of folding, hydration, hydrophobicity of binding site and stability.ConclusionsBased on our findings, we can conclude that HIV-1 integrase is vastly different from the prototype foamy virus integrase and does not resemble it, and the modeling output of the prototype foamy virus simulations could not be simply generalized to HIV-1 integrase. Therefore, our HIV-1 model seems to be more representative and more useful for future research.

Crystal structure of the Rous sarcoma virus intasome.

Integration of the reverse-transcribed viral DNA into the host genome is an essential step in the lifecycle of retroviruses. Retrovirus integrase (IN) catalyzes insertions of both ends of the linear viral DNA into a host chromosome 1. IN from HIV-1 and closely related retroviruses share the three-domain organization, consisting of a catalytic core domain flanked by N- and C-terminal domains essential for the concerted integration reaction. Although structures of the tetrameric IN-DNA complexes have been reported for IN from prototype foamy virus (PFV) featuring an additional DNA-binding domain and longer interdomain linkers 2–5, the architecture of a canonical three-domain IN bound to DNA remained elusive. Here we report a crystal structure of the three-domain IN from Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) in complex with viral and target DNAs. The structure shows an octameric assembly of IN, in which a pair of IN dimers engage viral DNA ends for catalysis while another pair of non-catalytic IN dimers bridge between the two viral DNA molecules and help capture target DNA. The individual domains of the eight IN molecules play varying roles to hold the complex together, making an extensive network of protein-DNA and protein-protein contacts that show both conserved and distinct features compared to those observed for PFV IN. Our work highlights diversity of retrovirus intasome assembly and provides insights into the mechanisms of integration by HIV-1 and related retroviruses.

Structural Studies of the HIV-1 Integrase Protein: Compound Screening and Characterization of a DNA-Binding Inhibitor.

Understanding the HIV integrase protein and mechanisms of resistance to HIV integrase inhibitors is complicated by the lack of a full length HIV integrase crystal structure. Moreover, a lentiviral integrase structure with co-crystallised DNA has not been described. For these reasons, we have developed a structural method that utilizes free software to create quaternary HIV integrase homology models, based partially on available full-length prototype foamy virus integrase structures as well as several structures of truncated HIV integrase. We have tested the utility of these models in screening of small anti-integrase compounds using randomly selected molecules from the ZINC database as well as a well characterized IN:DNA binding inhibitor, FZ41, and a putative IN:DNA binding inhibitor, HDS1. Docking studies showed that the ZINC compounds that had the best binding energies bound at the IN:IN dimer interface and that the FZ41 and HDS1 compounds docked at approximately the same location in integrase, i.e. behind the DNA binding domain, although there is some overlap with the IN:IN dimer interface to which the ZINC compounds bind. Thus, we have revealed two possible locations in integrase that could potentially be targeted by allosteric integrase inhibitors, that are distinct from the binding sites of other allosteric molecules such as LEDGF inhibitors. Virological and biochemical studies confirmed that HDS1 and FZ41 share a similar activity profile and that both can inhibit each of integrase and reverse transcriptase activities. The inhibitory mechanism of HDS1 for HIV integrase seems to be at the DNA binding step and not at either of the strand transfer or 3' processing steps of the integrase reaction. Furthermore, HDS1 does not directly interact with DNA. The modeling and docking methodology described here will be useful for future screening of integrase inhibitors as well as for the generation of models for the study of integrase drug resistance.

Knockdown of the host cellular protein transportin 3 attenuates prototype foamy virus infection.

Transportin 3 (TNPO3) is a member of the importin-ß superfamily proteins. Despite numerous studies, the exact molecular mechanism of TNPO3 in retroviral infection is still controversial. Here, we provide evidence for the role and mechanism of TNPO3 in the replication of prototype foamy virus (PFV). Our findings revealed that PFV infection was reduced 2-fold by knockdown (KD) of TNPO3. However, late stage of viral replication including transcription, translation, viral assembly, and release was not influenced. The differential cellular localization of PFV integrase (IN) in KD cells pinpointed a remarkable reduction of viral replication at the nuclear import step. We also found that TNPO3 interacted with PFV IN but not with Gag, suggesting that IN-TNPO3 interaction is important for nuclear import of PFV pre-integration complex. Our report enlightens the mechanism of PFV interaction with TNPO3 and support ongoing research on PFV as a promising safe vector for gene therapy.

Structural and sequencing analysis of local target DNA recognition by MLV integrase.

Target-site selection by retroviral integrase (IN) proteins profoundly affects viral pathogenesis. We describe the solution nuclear magnetic resonance structure of the Moloney murine leukemia virus IN (M-MLV) C-terminal domain (CTD) and a structural homology model of the catalytic core domain (CCD). In solution, the isolated MLV IN CTD adopts an SH3 domain fold flanked by a C-terminal unstructured tail. We generated a concordant MLV IN CCD structural model using SWISS-MODEL, MMM-tree and I-TASSER. Using the X-ray crystal structure of the prototype foamy virus IN target capture complex together with our MLV domain structures, residues within the CCD α2 helical region and the CTD β1-β2 loop were predicted to bind target DNA. The role of these residues was analyzed in vivo through point mutants and motif interchanges. Viable viruses with substitutions at the IN CCD α2 helical region and the CTD β1-β2 loop were tested for effects on integration target site selection. Next-generation sequencing and analysis of integration target sequences indicate that the CCD α2 helical region, in particular P187, interacts with the sequences distal to the scissile bonds whereas the CTD β1-β2 loop binds to residues proximal to it. These findings validate our structural model and disclose IN-DNA interactions relevant to target site selection.

Key determinants of target DNA recognition by retroviral intasomes.

BackgroundRetroviral integration favors weakly conserved palindrome sequences at the sites of viral DNA joining and generates a short (4–6 bp) duplication of host DNA flanking the provirus. We previously determined two key parameters that underlie the target DNA preference for prototype foamy virus (PFV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integration: flexible pyrimidine (Y)/purine (R) dinucleotide steps at the centers of the integration sites, and base contacts with specific integrase residues, such as Ala188 in PFV integrase and Ser119 in HIV-1 integrase. Here we examined the dinucleotide preference profiles of a range of retroviruses and correlated these findings with respect to length of target site duplication (TSD).ResultsIntegration datasets covering six viral genera and the three lengths of TSD were accessed from the literature or generated in this work. All viruses exhibited significant enrichments of flexible YR and/or selection against rigid RY dinucleotide steps at the centers of integration sites, and the magnitude of this enrichment inversely correlated with TSD length. The DNA sequence environments of in vivo-generated HIV-1 and PFV sites were consistent with integration into nucleosomes, however, the local sequence preferences were largely independent of target DNA chromatinization. Integration sites derived from cells infected with the gammaretrovirus reticuloendotheliosis virus strain A (Rev-A), which yields a 5 bp TSD, revealed the targeting of global chromatin features most similar to those of Moloney murine leukemia virus, which yields a 4 bp duplication. In vitro assays revealed that Rev-A integrase interacts with and is catalytically stimulated by cellular bromodomain containing 4 protein.ConclusionsRetroviral integrases have likely evolved to bend target DNA to fit scissile phosphodiester bonds into two active sites for integration, and viruses that cut target DNA with a 6 bp stagger may not need to bend DNA as sharply as viruses that cleave with 4 bp or 5 bp staggers. For PFV and HIV-1, the selection of signature bases and central flexibility at sites of integration is largely independent of chromatin structure. Furthermore, global Rev-A integration is likely directed to chromatin features by bromodomain and extraterminal domain proteins.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12977-015-0167-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Insight into the Binding Mode between N-Methyl Pyrimidones and Prototype Foamy Virus Integrase-DNA Complex by QM-Polarized Ligand Docking and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) is an essential enzyme in the viral replication cycle as it catalyzes the insertion of the reverse transcribed viral DNA into host chromosome. The structure of prototype foamy virus (PFV) IN has structural and functional homology with HIV-1 IN (no full-length structure available). In this study, we have used PFV IN-DNA complex as a surrogate model for HIV-1 IN-DNA complex to investigate the binding modes of N-methyl pyrimidones (NMPs) by QM-polarized ligand docking (QPLD), binding free energy calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. The O,O,O donor atom triad of NMPs show metal chelation with divalent Mg(2+) ions in the active site of PFV IN, in perfect agreement with the proposed mechanism of IN strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs). The results also show that the benzyl group of compounds fit into a pocket to displace the 3'-terminal adenosine of viral DNA from the IN active site making it unavailable for the nucleophile to attack the target DNA in the strand transfer (ST) reaction. The halobenzyl moiety show hydrophobic interactions with conserved PFV IN Tyr212 and Pro214 residues, corresponding to HIV-1 IN Tyr143 and Pro145, respectively. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations gave important insights into the structural and chemical basis involved in ST inhibition. Based on MD results, hydrogen bond with Tyr212, coordinate bonds with Mg(2+) ions, and hydrophobic interactions play an important role in the stabilization of compounds. Our results provide additional insight into the possible mechanism of action and binding mode of NMPs, and might have implications for rational design of specific HIV-1 INSTIs with improved affinity and selectivity.

Development of a receptor model for efficient in silico screening of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors

Integrase (IN) is a key viral enzyme for the replication of the type-1 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1), and as such constitutes a relevant therapeutic target for the development of anti-HIV agents. However, the lack of crystallographic data of HIV IN complexed with the corresponding viral DNA has historically hindered the application of modern structure-based drug design techniques to the discovery of new potent IN inhibitors (INIs). Consequently, the development and validation of reliable HIV IN structural models that may be useful for the screening of large databases of chemical compounds is of particular interest. In this study, four HIV-1 IN homology models were evaluated respect to their capability to predict the inhibition potency of a training set comprising 36 previously reported INIs with IC50 values in the low nanomolar to the high micromolar range. Also, 9 inactive structurally related compounds were included in this training set. In addition, a crystallographic structure of the IN-DNA complex corresponding to the prototype foamy virus (PFV) was also evaluated as structural model for the screening of inhibitors. The applicability of high throughput screening techniques, such as blind and ligand-guided exhaustive rigid docking was assessed. The receptor models were also refined by molecular dynamics and clustering techniques to assess protein sidechain flexibility and solvent effect on inhibitor binding. Among the studied models, we conclude that the one derived from the X-ray structure of the PFV integrase exhibited the best performance to rank the potencies of the compounds in the training set, with the predictive power being further improved by explicitly modeling five water molecules within the catalytic side of IN. Also, accounting for protein sidechain flexibility enhanced the prediction of inhibition potencies among the studied compounds. Finally, an interaction fingerprint pattern was established for the fast identification of potent IN inhibitors. In conclusion, we report an exhaustively validated receptor model if IN that is useful for the efficient screening of large chemical compounds databases in the search of potent HIV-1 IN inhibitors.

Integrase residues that determine nucleotide preferences at sites of HIV-1 integration: implications for the mechanism of target DNA binding

Retroviruses favor target-DNA (tDNA) distortion and particular bases at sites of integration, but the mechanism underlying HIV-1 selectivity is unknown. Crystal structures revealed a network of prototype foamy virus (PFV) integrase residues that distort tDNA: Ala188 and Arg329 interact with tDNA bases, while Arg362 contacts the phosphodiester backbone. HIV-1 integrase residues Ser119, Arg231, and Lys258 were identified here as analogs of PFV integrase residues Ala188, Arg329 and Arg362, respectively. Thirteen integrase mutations were analyzed for effects on integrase activity in vitro and during virus infection, yielding a total of 1610 unique HIV-1 integration sites. Purine (R)/pyrimidine (Y) dinucleotide sequence analysis revealed HIV-1 prefers the tDNA signature (0)RYXRY(4), which accordingly favors overlapping flexible dinucleotides at the center of the integration site. Consistent with roles for Arg231 and Lys258 in sequence specific and non-specific binding, respectively, the R231E mutation altered integration site nucleotide preferences while K258E had no effect. S119A and S119T integrase mutations significantly altered base preferences at positions −3 and 7 from the site of viral DNA joining. The S119A preference moreover mimicked wild-type PFV selectivity at these positions. We conclude that HIV-1 IN residue Ser119 and PFV IN residue Ala188 contact analogous tDNA bases to effect virus integration.