Re: What is the definition of multimerization?

Hi Joshua,

Multimerization is the process of assembling multimers of a given molecule (in this case, an integrase peptide). A multimer is an aggregate of multiple molecules (aka monomers, as mono = one) that is held together with non-covalent bonds. This definition distinguishes a multimer from a polymer, which is a series of monomers that are held together with covalent bonds, and which is assembled in a process known as polymerization.

In the case of integrase, a minimum of two monomer proteins are theoretically necessary for integrase to hold onto both ends of the viral nucleotide strand and insert it into the host DNA. This would mean that integrase was functional as a dimer (di = two). However, it isn't clear that integrase does function as a dimer, and it might be that full activity results from a pair of dimers, also known as a tetramer (tetra = four). Because it isn't yet clear if the active protein is a dimer or a tetramer (or some other combination of peptide monomers), it is safest to simply say that it functions as a multimer.

Finally, it looks as if the information you have about integrase comes (ultimately) from the wikipedia entry on integrase. This is an okay place to start, but if you want to find up to date info on integrase research, you should try looking in the scientific literature. For example, you can use the PubMed search engine to look for research about integrase and multimerization. Some of these articles may be a bit advanced for you, but I think you might get a lot out of such a search.

Finally, here are some articles that might be of use to you as well. They are a little out of date, but should make for a good start.

Katz RA, Skalka AM. (1994) The retroviral enzymes. Annu Rev Biochem. 63:133- 73.

Asante-Appiah E, Skalka AM. (1999) HIV-1 integrase: structural organization, conformational changes, and catalysis. Adv Virus Res. 52:351-69.