PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Sarkar, Indrani
AU  - Hauber, Ilona
AU  - Hauber, Joachim
AU  - Buchholz, Frank
TI  - HIV-1 Proviral DNA Excision Using an Evolved Recombinase
AID  - 10.1126/science.1141453
DP  - 2007 Jun 29
TA  - Science
PG  - 1912--1915
VI  - 316
IP  - 5833
4099  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/316/5833/1912.short
4100  - http://science.sciencemag.org/content/316/5833/1912.full
SO  - Science2007 Jun 29; 316
AB  - HIV-1 integrates into the host chromosome and persists as a provirus flanked by long terminal repeats (LTRs). To date, treatment regimens primarily target the virus enzymes or virus-cell fusion, but not the integrated provirus. We report here the substrate-linked protein evolution of a tailored recombinase that recognizes an asymmetric sequence within an HIV-1 LTR. This evolved recombinase efficiently excised integrated HIV proviral DNA from the genome of infected cells. Although a long way from use in the clinic, we speculate that this type of technology might be adapted in future antiretroviral therapies, among other possible uses.