Tryptophan synthase is an alpha(2)beta(2) multienzyme complex that exhibits coupling of the alpha- and P-subunit reactions by tightly controlled allosteric interactions. A wide range of parameters can affect the allosteric interactions, including monovalent cations, pH, alpha-site and beta-site ligands, temperature, and pressure. Rapid changes in hydrostatic pressure (P-jump) and temperature (T-jump) were used to examine the effects of pressure and temperature on the rates of the interconversion of external aldimine and aminoacrylate intermediates in the Tryptophan synthase-L-Ser complex. The intense fluorescence emission of the Tryptophan synthase L-Ser external aldimine complex at 495 rim, with 420 nm excitation, provides a probe of the conformational state of Trp synthase. P-jump measurements allowed the determination of rate constants for the reactions in the presence of Na+, Na+ with benzimidazole (BZI), and NH4+. The data require a compressibility term, beta(double dagger)(o), to obtain good fits, especially for the NH4(+) and BZI/Na+ data. The compressibility changes are consistent with changes in solvation in the transition state. The transition state for the relaxation is more similar in volume to the closed aminoacrylate complex in the presence of Na+, while it is more similar to the open external aldimine in the presence of NH4(+). Differences between the relaxations for positive and negative P-jumps may arise from changing relative populations of microstates with pressure. T-jump experiments of the Na+ form of the tryptophan synthase-L-Ser complex show large changes in rate and amplitude over the temperature range from 7 to 45 degrees C. The Arrhenius plots show strong curvature, and hence require a heat capacity term, Delta C-p(double dagger), to obtain good fits. The values of Delta C-p(double dagger) are very large and negative (-3.6 to -4.4 kJ mol(-1) K-1). These changes are also consistent with large changes in solvation in the transition state for interconversion of external aldimine and aminoacrylate intermediates in the Tryptophan synthase-L-Ser complex.