Restriction enzyme

one of many endonucleases isolated from bacteria that hydrolyze (cut) double-stranded DNA chains at specific sequences, thus inactivating a foreign (viral or other) DNA and restricting its activity; standard laboratory devices for making specific cuts in DNA as a first step in deducing or modifying sequences

Relevance to Hemoglobinopathies
Restriction enzymes and their sequence-specific behavior are used for many diagnostic procedures in hematology. A comprehensive list of commercially available enzymes and their properties is accessible, for instance, at the web site of New England Biolabs (NEB), given here not in endorsement of NEB products, but in acknowledgment of the utility of their web site as a resource for molecular-biology information.