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. 2008 Mar 28;4(3):e1000046. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000046

Figure 4. Model of LEDGF/p75 Function during HIV-1 Integration.

Figure 4

(A) The basic unit of chromatin, the nucleosome, is depicted as a gray oval of histone proteins in association with chromosomal DNA (orange lines). LEDGF/p75 might engage chromatin via its NLS and AT-hook motifs (A/T h) binding directly to DNA [31] and/or by the PWWP domain and AT-hooks mediating protein interactions with histone proteins or other currently unknown chromatin factors (labeled X) [18],[31],[32]. Upon engaging the IBD, PIC-bound IN is encouraged to integrate the viral cDNA at a nearby position, statistically favoring the indicated palindromic target DNA sequence (indicated by short black lines, and expanded to denote the sequence) [18], [82]–[85]. The short vertical lines indicate the sites of integration on the two chromosomal DNA strands. (B) The PIC can still engage the consensus target DNA sequence in the absence of LEDGF/p75, though overall levels of HIV-1 integration are reduced ∼10-fold under this condition (represented by the relative size of the arrow in [A] and [B]) [18].