Models for Mechanisms of Protection against Damaging Effects of Radiation 163
Discussion
SMITH:
As your model is based upon single-site enzymes rather than multi-site moieties,
the generality of its application is severely limited. Hopefully the theory can
be developed upon a model which reflects this order of complexity. This
might be facilitated by reference to the BRUNAUER, EMMET and TELLER theory.
ARLEY:
I quite agree with you that in reality the phenomenon is much more complicated than we assume in this or any other model; I also quite agree that we
should try to take as many of these complications into account. However,
I would like to stress that as a matter of fact the model does not assume any
details about the chemical reactions entering into it.
BETZ:
In enzymology we have learned to distinguish between catalytic sites and
regulatory sites, especially with allosteric enzymes. Is your model suitable to
distinguish whether radiation damage will interfere with one or the other in
any particular enzyme?
ARLEY:
11"
Although it is beyond the power of any individual scholar nowadays to cover
all the knowledge within even a single field such as enzymology, my personal
guess is: "no", but we certainly do hope that in the experimentation of
tomorrow it will become possible.