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restriction site

restriction site

7.2
A short part of DNA where a special enzyme cuts it
  • noun
  • /rɪˈstrɪkʃən saɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sitio de restricción
  • And here the unique thing was that there's a restriction site inside that is is present in normal DNA and not present in in sickle DNA.

Examples

  • The genetic engineer identified a restriction site on the DNA strand for the experiment.

  • We'll use, we'll say, restriction site K and A here.

  • A small proportion of uncut DNA could be explained by errors introduced into the restriction sites by the Tag polymerase.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Thus, complexity reduction is achieved by excluding genomic regions where the distance between specified restriction sites is greater than the threshold determined by PCR.

    Academic text (2010)
  • To insert the new gene, the scientists carefully analyzed the restriction sites to ensure proper cuts in the DNA.

  • Understanding the location of each restriction site is crucial before performing the cloning procedure.

Surface Forms

Morphology

restriction + site

The compound is partially compositional: 'site' = location and 'restriction' suggests limitation, so a learner could infer it refers to a particular place where some restricting happens. However the specific technical sense (‘a DNA sequence where a restriction enzyme cuts’) is domain-specific and not derivable from everyday meanings without biological knowledge, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Restriction site comes from lab work with DNA. It means a small site or place on the DNA where a protein called a restriction enzyme stops and cuts the molecule. Think of it as a tiny 'cut here' sign on the DNA, so the phrase means the exact place on DNA where an enzyme can 'cut'.