Restriction Enzyme

Restriction enzymes, also known as restriction endonucleases, are proteins produced by bacteria that cut DNA at specific sites on the molecule. In bacterial cells, restriction enzymes cleave foreign DNA, thereby eliminating the infecting organism. These enzymes have been an important part of the field of genetic engineering, allowing researchers to insert new genes into organisms to create new traits. These enzymes are also used in medical research, diagnosing genetic diseases and forensics, allowing researchers to compare DNA samples from different sources.

Principle of Restriction Enzyme

Each restriction enzyme recognizes a short, specific sequence of nucleotide bases (the four basic chemical subunits of a linear double-stranded DNA molecule—adenine, cytosine, thymine, and guanine). These regions, called recognition sequences or recognition sites, are randomly distributed throughout the DNA. Different bacterial species produce restriction enzymes that recognize different nucleotide sequences. When a restriction endonuclease recognizes a sequence, it snips the DNA molecule by catalyzing the hydrolysis of bonds between adjacent nucleotides (split chemical bonds by adding water molecules). Bacteria prevent their DNA from being degraded in this way by disguising their own recognition sequences. Enzymes called methylases add a methyl group (-CH3) to an adenine or cytosine base within the recognition sequence, thereby modifying and protecting it from endonucleases.

Our Restriction Enzyme

Restriction enzymes, which cut DNA molecules at specific locations, are important tools in recombinant DNA technology. Backed by years of manufacturing experience, Creative Biogene's DNA restriction enzymes are unmatched in quality and purity. Each lot of our DNA restriction enzymes undergoes stringent quality control testing to ensure that the enzymes are provided with optimized buffers for maximum activity during digestion reactions.

Applications of Restriction Enzymes

Restriction endonucleases are widely used in molecular biology research for the following applications:

• Genetic Engineering: The most popular application of restriction enzymes is as a tool for genetic engineering. Endonuclease activity enables manipulation of the genome and introduction of sequences of interest in the host organism. This results in the host producing the desired gene product.
• DNA mapping: In this technique, DNA is digested with a series of restriction enzymes to generate DNA fragments of various sizes. The resulting fragments are separated by agarose gel electrophoresis, and the distance between restriction enzyme sites can be estimated.
• Gene Sequencing: Large DNA molecules are digested using restriction enzymes and the resulting fragments are processed through DNA sequencer to obtain the nucleotide sequence.

Restriction Enzyme List