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The Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance spectrum of lysozyme has been shown to consist of a multiplet of narrow components, at -1565 MHz, 1585 MHz, and 1620 MHz. The 1585 MHz component is the strongest feature of the spectrum. This is consistent with earlier reports which apparently resolved only this principal component in lysozyme. The linewidths reported here are the narrowest ever reported for tryptophan in proteins. Using Microwave-Induced Phosphorescence techniques, the dominant 1585 MHz line is seen to be coupled to a "narrow" phosphorescence emission component at about 4134A. This component has a bandwidth of about 25A compared to 42A for the normal O-O band for tryptophan in lysozyme.

Optical detection of magnetic resonance (ODMR) has been employed to examine the homogeneity of the tryptophan environment, both of the isolated residue in solvent, and of tryptophan in glucagon and lysozyme and azurin B (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). From the shifts in the zero-field splittings, we can safely conclude that tryptophan in lysozyme, azurin B, or glucagon does not have the same type of solvent interaction as the free residue. However, by "burning holes" in the OSMR lines, it is evident that the lines in these cases are inhomogeneously broadened. From the relative line widths and hole widths, it appears that ODMR can be used to examine the relative diversity of interactions for a luminescent amino acid in a protein. We have followed the ODMR line characteristics in a progression from free N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide, to tryptophan in lysozyme, to "denatured" lysozyme, and present evidence that the line widths narrow as the tryptophan residues become less solvent accessible.

We have used optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) to characterize the degree of solvent availability of the tryptophan residues in lysozyme that are likely to be responsible for the observed phosphorescence. From the phosphorescence spectra, ODMR zero-field splittings (zfs), and ODMR line widths, we concur with the X-ray structure [Blake, C. C., Mair, G. A., North, A. C. T., Phillips, D. C., & Sarma, V. R. (1967) Proc. R. Soc. London, ser. B 167, 365-377] that Trp-62 behaves as an exposed residue and Trp-108 is buried. In addition, we present evidence that ODMR can be used in conjunction with conventional phosphorescence to evaluate the degree of order in the microenvironments of tryptophan in a protein containing several tryptophans. By the specific modification of residues Trp-62 and Trp-108, we have identified those portions of the ODMR lines in the native enzyme that are due to those specific residues. Barring major enzyme conformational changes in the vicinity of unmodified tryptophan residues when Trp-62 or Trp-108 are selectively modified, we find that Trp-108 dominates both the phosphorescence and the ODMR signals in native lysozyme. The results are discussed in view of previous fluorescence findings.