Deuteron Cross Section of β-Amylase in Vitro and in Vivo

Abstract

Different preparations of malt beta-amylase in the dry state were bombarded with 3.75 Mev deuterons. The amylase was (1) in a relatively pure form, (2) in an immediately extracted form, and (3) within barley seed slices. Although there is a wide spread of cross sections, the range of this spread is the same for all 3 preparations, and the spread is attributed to a complex population of amylase molecules. It is concluded that beta-amylase responds to ionizing radiation in essentially the same manner in all 3 cases and that, consequently, conclusions reached from radiation studies of semipurified enzymes can be extended to nonmetabolizing living systems in the dry state.