Question
Biology Question on biotechnology
Manipulation of DNA in genetic engineering became possible due to the discovery of
A
Restriction endonuclease
B
DNA ligase
C
Transcriptase
D
Primase
Answer
Restriction endonuclease
Explanation
Solution
The correct option is (A) : Restriction endonuclease
The discovery of restriction endonuclease made it feasible to manipulate DNA for use in genetic engineering. There are several hundred restriction enzymes that have been isolated from bacterial cells and are used by molecular biologists as tools. Each one has a unique sequence requirement that determines where it will cut DNA. As a result, when a restriction enzyme breaks down DNA, it produces a distinctive collection of fragments that can be separated by electrophoresis and then examined.