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How do integrase inhibitors interfere with HIV replication?
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AIDS
Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 virions (green) budding from a cultured lymphocyte. Multiple round bumps on the cell surface represent sites of virion assembly and budding.
Integrase inhibitors interfere with HIV replication by blocking the function of the viral enzyme known as integrase.1
In the HIV life cycle, after the virus enters a host cell and converts its RNA into DNA via reverse transcriptase, the viral DNA must be inserted into the host cell's genome to direct the production of new viruses. Integrase is the specific enzyme responsible for this insertion process. By inhibiting this enzyme, these drugs prevent the viral genetic material from becoming integrated into the host cell's DNA, thereby blocking the virus's ability to replicate and produce new infectious particles.21