Final answer:
Restriction enzymes such as EcoRI and BamHI are used to produce sticky ends on human DNA and plasmids for recombination; DNA ligase then joins the annealed fragments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Enzymes that produce sticky ends when cutting both human DNA and a plasmid are known as restriction enzymes. These enzymes are crucial in recombinant DNA technology because they make cuts at specific palindromic sequences, creating overhangs that are complementary across different DNA fragments. When DNA cut with the same restriction enzyme is mixed, these sticky ends can anneal, or hybridize, due to base pairing. Following annealing, the addition of DNA ligase permanently joins these fragments, resulting in a recombinant plasmid that combines the human DNA insert with the plasmid vector.
Examples of such enzymes include EcoRI and BamHI, which recognize specific sequences and create staggered cuts, leaving behind DNA fragments with overhanging ends conducive to recombination. Restriction enzymes such as EcoRI and BamHI produce sticky ends for recombination of human DNA with plasmids. DNA ligase is then used to permanently join the annealed fragments. Restriction enzymes are specialized proteins that cut DNA molecules at specific sites.