A restriction map is a map of knownrestriction sites within a sequence of DNA. Restriction mapping requires the use of restriction enzymes. In molecular biology, restriction maps are used as a reference to engineer plasmids or other relatively short pieces of DNA, and sometimes for longer genomic DNA.
Restriction mapping is a method used to map an unknown segment of DNA by breaking it into pieces and then identifying the locations of the breakpoints. This method relies upon the use of proteins called restriction enzymes, which can cut, or digest, DNA molecules at short, specific sequences called restriction sites.