In recombinant DNA technology, which substance is used to cut DNA into fragments?

In recombinant DNA technology, restriction enzymes play a crucial role in manipulating DNA. These enzymes are specialized proteins that recognize specific sequences of nucleotide bases within the DNA and cut the strands at these sites. This action creates fragments of DNA, which can then be used for various applications such as cloning, gene insertion, and genetic mapping. The precise nature of restriction enzymes allows scientists to produce reliable and reproducible DNA fragments, which is essential for subsequent experiments and procedures in genetic engineering.

Understanding the function of restriction enzymes is fundamental in molecular biology as they enable the isolation of specific genes or DNA sequences required for research or therapeutic purposes. In contrast, plasmids are vectors used to transfer genetic material, DNA ligase is an enzyme that joins DNA fragments together, and nucleic acid probes are used to detect specific sequences but do not cut DNA. Each of these has its own role in recombinant DNA technology, but it is the restriction enzymes that are specifically responsible for cutting DNA into fragments.