Question

Bacteria use restriction enzymes to __________?

1) synthesize DNA
2) synthesize protein
3) destroy foreign DNA
4) synthesize RNA
5) destroy foreign protein

Answer 1

Bacteria use restriction enzymes, which are specific enzymes known as restriction endonucleases, to detect and destroy foreign DNA to protect themselves from threats like bacteriophages.

Step-by-step explanation:

Bacteria use restriction enzymes to destroy foreign DNA. These enzymes, also known as restriction endonucleases, are part of a bacterial defense mechanism against potential threats like bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria). The enzymes cleave specific DNA sequences that are recognized as foreign because they are not methylated in the same way as the bacterial DNA is.

This ability to distinguish between the organism's own DNA and foreign DNA lies in the specificity of restriction endonucleases to recognize particular palindromic sequences and cleave them, thereby restricting the presence of potentially harmful foreign DNA sequences.