The structure to the left shows a molecule of the integrase enzyme caught in the act as it incorporates viral DNA into human DNA.
Turn spinning off by pressing the "toggle spin" button below the molecule. You may also press "toggle quality", although this may slow the animation, depending on your computer.You can rotate the molecule by clicking and dragging horizontally,or by using your scroll wheel. It can be re-sized by dragging horizontally.
Viral DNA is highlighted here as a
One strand of human DNA can be seen here . Note that one of the (brown) viral DNA strands is oriented close to and perpendicular to the human (green) strand
The drug raltegravir (Isentress)is the first drug that has made its way to market that acts as an inhibitor of HIV-integrase. It is shown displayed in a space filling representation.It is easier to see the functional groups displayed as
Note the 3 oxygen atoms labeled . They are a vital part of the structure, since they bind (chelate) to 2 magnesium ions within the enzyme. The oxygen atoms are highlighted here as
