The first restriction endonuclease to be isolated was:

Hind II

The correct answer is Option (2) → Hind II

The cutting of DNA at specific locations became possible with the discovery of the so-called ‘molecular scissors’– restriction enzymes. Restriction enzymes belong to a larger class of enzymes called nucleases. These are of two kinds; exonucleases and endonucleases. Exonucleases remove nucleotides from the ends of the DNA whereas, endonucleases make cuts at specific positions within the DNA

The first restriction endonuclease–Hind II, whose functioning depended on a specific DNA nucleotide sequence was isolated and characterized five years later. It was found that Hind II always cut DNA molecules at a particular point by recognizing a specific sequence of six base pairs. This specific base sequence is known as the recognition sequence for Hind II.