Initiation of HIV Reverse Transcription: Is Enzyme Flipping Required?

Viruses

关键词: HIV;    reverse transcription;    initiation;   

DOI  :  10.3390/v3040331

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Liu and colleagues have recently studied dynamic changes in the orientation of HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) on its nucleic acid substrate during initiation of DNA synthesis. The authors employed a single molecule FRET assay and revealed the existence of an equilibrium between polymerase-competent and “flipped” polymerase-incompetent orientations. RT flipping correlates with enzyme pausing during initiation, while the transition to the processive elongation phase correlates with increases in the population of polymerase-competent complexes. The potential biological significance of these findings is discussed in this commentary in lieu of the entire process of reverse transcription.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.