In recombinant DNA technology, specific restriction endonucleases are used that will isolate a particular gene and cleave the sugar phosphate backbones at different points (retaining symmetry), so that the double-stranded restriction fragments have single-stranded ends. These short extensions, called sticky ends, can form hydrogen bonded base pairs with complementary sticky ends on any other DNA cut with the same enzyme (such as a bacterial plasmid).
In agarose gel electrophoresis, the restriction fragments yield a band pattern characteristic of the original DNA molecule and restriction enzyme used, for example the relatively small DNA molecules of viruses and plasmids can be identified simply by their restriction fragment patterns. If the nucleotide differences of two different alleles occur within the restriction site of a particular restriction enzyme, digestion of segments of DNA from individuals with different alleles for that particular gene with that enzyme would produce different fragments and that will each yield different band patterns in gel electrophoresis.