NANOSECOND LASER PHOTOLYSIS OF RHODOPSIN AND ISORHODOPSIN

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Abstract
Kinetic and spectral measurements have been carried out on the primary intermediate in the photolysis of rhodopsin and isorhodopsin, initiated by a 457 nm, 6 ns (FWHM) laser pulse. In rhodopsin the kinetic decay of bathorhodopsin was found to be 140 ± 15 ns at 20°C. The decay of bathorhodopsin to lumirhodopsin has an activation energy of 51 ± 4 kJ/mol (12.2 ± 1 kcal/mol). The decay kinetics of bathorhodopsin were found to be the same for rhodopsin in membrane and detergent solubilized suspensions. The kinetic decay of the batho product in the photolysis of isorhodopsin was found to be the same as rhodopsin.The corrected transient spectrum 50 ns following excitation in rhodopsin has two peaks near 560 and 440 nm. A peak was also observed in isorhodopsin near 550 nm at 50 ns following excitation but no transient was observed in the blue. The 550 nm peak in isorhodopsin has an intensity similar to that in rhodopsin indicating that the quantum yields for the formation of batho products of rhodopsin and isorhodopsin are similar under the irradiation conditions used here. Transient spectra for rhodopsin and isorhodopsin 1 μs following excitation are also different. In isorhodopsin the corrected transient spectrum has a peak at 500 nm, similar to low temperature steady state irradiation spectra. The 1 μs transient spectrum in rhodopsin is more intense than in isorhodopsin and shows a peak at 475 nm.