Buc Henri
Institut Pasteur, 25-28, rue du Docteur-Roux, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France.
C R Biol. 2015 Jun;338(6):372-9. doi: 10.1016/j.crvi.2015.03.007. Epub 2015 Apr 11.
In this review, I compare the development of Monod's intellectual leadership in two fields, the regulation of enzyme biosynthesis and the control of enzymatic activity. I characterize the comings and goings between his scrupulous analysis of a given model system, his ability to compare the outcome with very distant experimental results, his audacity in formulating, then a physical interpretation of this convergence through a unifying mechanism. Finally, I briefly discuss how his attitude has durably impacted the whole field of molecular biology.