The process by which the different parts of an organism are made a functional and structural whole, especially through the activity of the nervous system and of hormones. As related to HIV: The process by which the viral
DNA migrates to the cell's
nucleus, where it is spliced into the host's
DNA with the help of viral
integrase. Once incorporated, HIV
DNA is called the provirus and is duplicated together with the cell's genes every time the cell divides. Recent reports suggest that HIV's
DNA also can integrate into the
DNA of nondividing cells such as macro-phages and brain and nerve cells. See also
Integrase;
Macrophage.