Enzymes historical view

Hydrophobic association on raising the temperature is the most fundamental aspect of the consilient mechanism, arising as it does from the inverse temperature transition. An equivalent statement would be that hydrophobic dissociation on lowering the temperature is fundamental to the consilient mechanism. Historically, this has been called cold denaturation of enzymes. In our view, those protein systems that associate on heating to physiological temperatures in order to achieve a functional state should be considered in terms of the consilient mechanism. 

It is therefore evident from the historic point of view and the foregoing discussion that the term oxygenase, in a broad sense, may be assigned to a group of enzymes catalyzing the activation of oxygen and the subsequent incorporation of either one or two atoms of oxygen per mole of various substrates. 

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