restriction enzyme

restriction enzyme
Biochem.
any of a group of enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of DNA molecules at specific sites: used for gene splicing in recombinant DNA technology and for chromosome mapping.
[1960-65]

* * *

Protein (more specifically, an endonuclease) produced by bacteria that cleaves DNA at specific sites along its length.

Thousands have been found, from many different bacteria; each recognizes a specific nucleotide sequence. In the living bacterial cell, these enzymes destroy the DNA of certain invading viruses (bacteriophages), thus placing a "restriction" on the number of viral strains that can cause infection; the bacterium's own DNA is protected from cleavage by methyl (―CH3) groups, which are added by enzymes at the recognition sites to mask them. In the laboratory, restriction enzymes allow researchers to isolate DNA fragments of interest, such as those that contain genes, and to recombine them with other DNA molecules; for this reason they have become very powerful tools of recombinant DNA biotechnology (see DNA recombination).

* * *

also called  restriction endonuclease,  

      a protein produced by bacteria that cleaves DNA at specific sites along the molecule. In the bacterial cell, restriction enzymes cleave foreign DNA, thus eliminating infecting organisms. Restriction enzymes can be isolated from bacterial cells and used in the laboratory to manipulate fragments of DNA, such as those that contain genes; for this reason they are indispensible tools of recombinant DNA (recombinant DNA technology) technology, or genetic engineering.

      A bacterium uses a restriction enzyme to defend against bacterial viruses called bacteriophages, or phages. When a phage infects a bacterium, it inserts its DNA into the bacterial cell so that it might be replicated. The restriction enzyme prevents replication of the phage DNA by cutting it into many pieces. Restriction enzymes were named for their ability to restrict, or limit, the number of strains of bacteriophage that can infect a bacterium.

      Each restriction enzyme recognizes a short, specific sequence of nucleotide bases (nucleotide) (the four basic chemical subunits of the linear double-stranded DNA molecule—adenine, cytosine, thymine, and guanine). These regions are called recognition sequences and are randomly distributed throughout the DNA. Different bacterial species make restriction enzymes that recognize different nucleotide sequences.

      When a restriction endonuclease recognizes a sequence, it snips through the DNA molecule by catalyzing the hydrolysis (splitting of a chemical bond by addition of a water molecule) of the bond between adjacent nucleotides. Bacteria prevent their own DNA from being degraded in this manner by disguising their recognition sequences. Enzymes called methylases add methyl groups (—CH3) to adenine or cytosine bases within the recognition sequence, which is thus modified and protected from the endonuclease. The restriction enzyme and its corresponding methylase constitute the restriction-modification system of a bacterial species.

      There are three classes of restriction enzymes, designated types I, II, and III. Types I and III enzymes are similar in that both restriction and methylase activities are carried out by one large enzyme complex, in contrast to the type II system, in which the restriction enzyme is independent of its methylase. Type II restriction enzymes also differ from the other two types in that they cleave DNA at specific sites within the recognition site; the others cleave DNA randomly, sometimes hundreds of bases from the recognition sequence.

      Restriction enzymes were discovered and characterized in the late 1960s and early 1970s by the molecular biologists Werner Arber, Hamilton O. Smith, and Daniel Nathans. The ability of these enzymes to cut DNA at precise locations enabled researchers to isolate gene-containing fragments and recombine them with other molecules of DNA—i.e., to clone genes. More than 2,500 type II restriction enzymes have been identified from a variety of bacterial species. These enzymes recognize about 200 distinct sequences, which are four to eight bases in length. The names of restriction enzymes are derived from the genus, species, and strain designations of the bacteria that produce them; for example, the enzyme EcoRI is produced by Escherichia coli strain RY13.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • restriction enzyme — or restriction endonuclease [en΄dō no͞o′klē ās΄, en΄dōnyo͞o′klē ās΄] n. any of various enzymes that chemically break DNA into strands at specific locations …   English World dictionary

  • Restriction enzyme — Glossary Restriction …   Wikipedia

  • Restriction enzyme — An enzyme from bacteria that can recognize specific base sequences in DNA and cut the DNA at that site (the restriction site). A restriction enzyme acts as a biochemical scissors. Also called a restriction endonuclease. A restriction enzyme is a… …   Medical dictionary

  • restriction enzyme — restriction endonuclease an enzyme, obtained from bacteria, that cuts DNA into specific short segments. Restriction enzymes are widely used in genetic engineering …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Restriction enzyme mediated integration — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Rémi. La technique REMI (Restriction Enzyme Mediated Integration) est une technique permettant d identifier les mutations issues d une mutagenèse effectuée grâce à un plasmide contenant un gène de résistance et… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • restriction enzyme — noun any of the enzymes that cut nucleic acid at specific restriction sites and produce restriction fragments; obtained from bacteria (where they cripple viral invaders); used in recombinant DNA technology • Syn: ↑restriction endonuclease,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • restriction enzyme — (also restriction endonuclease) noun Biochemistry an enzyme with the property of cleaving DNA molecules at or near a specific sequence of bases …   English new terms dictionary

  • restriction enzyme — noun Date: 1965 any of various enzymes that cleave DNA into fragments at specific sites in the interior of the molecule called also restriction endonuclease …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • restriction enzyme — See restriction endonuclease …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • restriction enzyme — Synonym of restriction endonuclease …   Glossary of Biotechnology

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”