Restriction endonucleases are used by bacteria to recognize foreign DNA and destroy (restrict) it by introducing double-stranded cuts at characteristic recognition sites. They are typically named after the bacterial species from which they were first isolated. For example, EcoRI was the (I)st  (R)estriction endonuclease isolated from E. coli: Eco + R + I. Most endonucleases used in molecular biology recognize four or six base sites (tetraschizomers or hexaschizomers, "four-cutters" or "six-cutters"). Some have 10 bp sites, and are called "long cutters" because the interval between sites is much greater.

    Restriction sites are molecular palindromes. A palindrome is a word or phrase that reads the same forward or backward: "Able was I ere I saw Elba", "Madame I'm Adam", "Doc: note, I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod". The one-word record holder is the 15-letter Finnish word for a soap seller, "Saippuakauppias". DNA palindromes read the same forward and backward when both strands are considered. In the first example above, the recognition site of EcoRI is 5'-GAATTC-3', so the paired strand is 3'-CTTAAG-5': the double-stranded 6 bp sequence will therefore read the same in either direction.