Cutting remarks
These bacterial enzymes act as molecular scissors for DNA.
What are restriction enzymes (or restriction endonucleases)?
Restriction enzymes recognize these short sequences on the DNA molecule.
What are recognition sites?
DNA fragments with fully complementary base pairs at their termini are said to have these types of ends.
What are blunt ends?
The DNA cleavage reaction catalyzed by restriction enzymes involves the addition of this molecule.
What is water?
Restriction enzymes are considered a fundamental tool in this field of biology for manipulating DNA.
What is molecular biology?
The process by which restriction enzymes cleave DNA is known by this two-word term
What is restriction digestion?
This term describes a DNA sequence that reads the same forwards and backwards on opposite strands, often the target of restriction enzymes.
What is a palindromic sequence?
Restriction enzymes that cut DNA at slightly offset positions create these single-stranded overhangs.
What are sticky ends (or cohesive ends)?
The type of chemical bond in the DNA backbone that is broken during restriction digestion.
What is a phosphodiester bond?
The predictable nature of restriction enzyme cutting is essential for generating these reproducible pieces of DNA.
What are DNA fragments?
This term describes the consistent location where a restriction enzyme will break the phosphodiester bonds.
What is the cleavage site?
The binding between a restriction enzyme and its recognition site is this type of interaction.
What is non-covalent?
A single-stranded overhang on a DNA fragment where the 5' end extends beyond the 3' end is called this.
What is a 5' overhang?
The addition of water to break a chemical bond is generally known by this term.
What is hydrolysis?
The unique DNA sequence recognized by each different restriction enzyme allows for this type of DNA manipulation.
What is highly targeted?
Restriction enzymes belong to this class of enzymes that catalyze the breaking of chemical bonds.
What are lyases?
The accuracy of a restriction enzyme in identifying its target sequence is crucial for this outcome in DNA manipulation.
What is precise (or accurate) cutting?
The ability of sticky ends to do this with complementary overhangs from other DNA fragments is key to DNA cloning.
What is anneal (or base-pair)?
The hydrolysis reaction carried out by restriction enzymes results in the splitting of the DNA molecule into these.
What are two or more fragments?
The ability of restriction enzymes to generate compatible ends is particularly useful for this technique that joins DNA fragments together.
What is DNA cloning?
The length of the specific DNA sequences recognized by restriction enzymes typically falls within this range of base pairs.
What is 4 to 8?
The scanning action of a restriction enzyme across the DNA molecule precedes this crucial step.
What is encountering its specific recognition sequence?
The classification of sticky ends depends on whether this end of the single-stranded overhang is protruding.
What is either the 5' or 3' end?
The requirement of adding a water molecule highlights that DNA cleavage is not simply a mechanical break but this type of chemical process.
What is a catalyzed reaction?
Understanding the specificity and predictable cleavage of restriction enzymes allows researchers to create these detailed maps of DNA molecules.
What are restriction maps?