endonuclease

/ˈɛndoʊˌnukliˈeɪs/

Definitions of endonuclease

1. noun

   a nuclease that cleaves nucleic acids at interior bonds and so produces fragments of various sizes
   types:

   restriction endonuclease, restriction enzyme, restriction nuclease

   any of the enzymes that cut nucleic acid at specific restriction sites and produce restriction fragments; obtained from bacteria (where they cripple viral invaders); used in recombinant DNA technology

   type of:

   nuclease

   general term for enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of nucleic acid by cleaving chains of nucleotides into smaller units