On the photochemical release of phosphate from 3,5-dinitrophenyl phosphate in a protein crystal

In time-resolved diffraction studies, reaction initiation should ideally be both uniform throughout the body of the crystal and rapid with respect to the reaction under study. Caged compounds have been used in a number of experiments to provide photochemical initiation of catalytic reactions in enzyme crystals. No in situ measurements have been reported so far on the kinetics of photolysis or on the distribution of photolysis products within crystals. With the aid of a fast single-crystal microspectrophotometer, we performed quantitative studies on the photolysis of a caged compound, 3,5-dinitrophenyl phosphate, in crystals of glycogen phosphorylase b. The results show that for concentrations required in kinetic experiments, the photolytic release of phosphate from 3,5-dinitrophenyl phosphate is restricted to a thin surface layer only. The liberated substrate is then transported by diffusion into the body of the crystal. In effect, the speed of reaction initiation is limited by the rate of diffusion rather than by the rate of the photochemical reaction. The paper discusses general criteria and experimental strategies for the successful use of photoreactive protective groups in time-resolved diffraction experiments.