Structure and kinetics of the photoproduct of carboxymyoglobin at low temperatures: an X-ray absorption study.

Photolysis and recombination of carboxymyoglobin at low temperatures have been studied by a variety of methods. This paper combines optical and structural studies of carboxymyoglobin photolysis and recombination in the temperature range 4-120 K. The absorbance changes indicate ablation of the characteristic optical transitions of carboxymyoglobin and formation of a photoproduct (Mb*CO) differing from deoxymyoglobin. When the X-ray absorption changes in the 7150-7200-eV region of the X-ray absorption spectrum are used as an indicator of structural change, the photoproduct at 4 K as measured with respect to the unphotolyzed sample is 60% of that observed for the chemically produced deoxy form. Saturation of the change is obtained with repetitive flashes totaling several thousand joules of energy from a xenon flash lamp by using a thin sample (1 mm) at 4 mM concentration as measured by both optical transmission and X-ray absorption criteria. The kinetics of the reaction show the change to occur at 10 K within the resolving time currently available (2 s) in the X-ray absorption measurements. The amplitude of the light-induced change decreases to half its maximal value at 40 K and to zero at 90 K. Steady illumination suggests at least two recombination processes. Analysis of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data on Mb*CO indicates small distance changes in the first shell of Fe-N and Fe-C that can be attributed to lengthening of the pyrrole nitrogen bonds and proximal histidine motion, together with a small displacement of the CO molecule on photolysis--a form here designated Mb*CO. This structure of the germinate state, Mb*CO, may elucidate the nature of elementary steps in chemical reactions and in tunneling processes.