Specific photoaffinity labeling induced by energy transfer: application to irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase.

p-Dimethylaminobenzene diazonium fluoroborate belongs to a class of potential photoaffinity labeling reagents which, by irradiation, produces a highly reactive electrophilic species. In addition, it can be photodecomposed by photoexcited tryptophan derivatives (e.g., N-acetyltryptophanamide and tryptophan residues belonging to acetylcholinesterase) by an energy transfer reaction. This substance is a competitive inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (acetylcholine acetylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.7) and is able to inactivate the enzyme either by photoaffinity labeling after irradiation at 410 nm or by an energy transfer reaction after irradiation at 295 nm. The efficiency of this method is demonstrated by an increase of the rate of enzyme inactivation as well as by a decrease of nonselective labeling with a radioactive inhibitor p-[methyl-3H]-dimethylaminobenzene diazonium fluoroborate.