EcoRI cutting a strand of DNA. EcoRI is a restriction endonuclease that recognizes and cuts DNA at a specific motif (GAATTC). After the DNA is cut, so-called sticky ends are left behind. Sticky ends are short non-paired DNA bases. This property makes this enzyme a powerful tool in molecular biology. The enzyme naturally occurs in E. coli, where it serves as a defense mechanism against viral DNA. | Ribosome Studio