Ultraviolet resonance Raman and absorption difference spectroscopy of myoglobins: titration behavior of individual tyrosine residues

The UV resonance Raman spectra of horse and sperm whale myoglobin excited at 240 nm show bands between 600 and 1700 cm-1 which derive from tyrosyl and tryptophyl residues. No significant contribution from phenylalanine and peptide backbone vibrations occurs at this excitation wavelength. We examine the pH dependence of the UV resonance Raman and UV absorption difference spectra of these myoglobins to correlate the local protein environment of the tyrosyl residues as given by the protein crystal structure to their pKa values, molar absorptivities, and Raman cross sections. Some of our pKa values for the tyrosinate residues of horse Mb differ from those of previous studies. We show that the lambda max values, the molar absorptivities, and the Raman cross sections are sensitive to the local environment of the tyrosinate residues in the protein. We relate differences in the tyrosyl absorption spectra to differences in Raman cross sections. In addition, we discuss the importance to the Raman cross sections of the local electromagnetic field enhancement due to the dielectric environment of the tyrosinate residues in the protein. This local field should scale the Raman cross sections in a way useful as a probe of the average aromatic amino acid residue environment.