The interaction of dromedary hemoglobin with various solvent components [2-(p-chlorophenoxy)-2-1. CFA greatly lowers the oxygen affinity of dromedary hemoglobin. 2. The oxygen-linked CFA binding sites are probably located in the deoxy derivative at the CI cleft, while in the oxy form and in the presence of two other effectors (glycerate-2,3-P2 and chloride) additional, structurally and possibly functionally relevant binding site(s) should be considered. methylpropionic acid (CFA), 2,3-bisphospho-~-glycerate (glycerate-2,3-P2) and chloride] has been studied.3. Both CFA and glycerate-2,3-P2 stabilize the deoxy-like tertiary structure in the oxy derivative. 4. Chloride appears to be fundamental to obtain quaternary structural changes. 5. Interaction energy, retained in the protein when the three ligands (CFA, glycerate-2,3-P2 and chloride) are bound to the oxy form, favours intermediates not stable if only one or two allosteric effector(s) is (are) present on the protein.6. The oxygen affinity appears to be related to both tertiary and quaternary structural changes, while cooperativity is largely invariant with solvent conditions.In conclusion, the functional properties of dromedary hemoglobin do not depend in any simple way on the variety of stabilized conformations.The structure of a hemoglobin molecule is determined in part by its solution environment. Thus, the addition of a non-heme ligand to the system is expected to produce some alterations in the energetic balance of its immediate surroundings (tertiary conformational changes); in its turn such modification can propagate (depending on the ligand and experimental conditions) to the inter-subunit contacts with consequent movement of chains relative to one another (quaternary conformational changes). The relationships between local, direct effects of non-heme ligand binding and gross, indirect structural changes in regions of the protein remote from the site of non-heme ligand association were recently investigated in hemoglobin from Cumelus dromedurius [l -31. This protein is an a2P2 tetramer characterized by: (a) an amino acidic sequence with all residues considered relevant for the functional properties of human hemoglobin [4], and (b) two distinct binding sites for polyanions, which modulate as a function of their concentration the structural and functional properties of the protein [l -3, 5, 61.In particular, previous results on dromedary hemoglobin indicate that: (a) the effect of polyanions on the conformation appears to be essentially local; and (b) the presence of chloride ions is necessary in order to induce quaternary changes in the Correspondence to G. Amiconi, Dipartimento Di Scienze Biochimiche, Universita Degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 1-00185 Roma, ItalyAbbreviations. CFA, chlofibric acid = 2-@-chlorophenoxy)-2-methylpropionic acid; giycerate-2,3-Pz or Grip2, 2,3-bIsphospho-~-glycerate.polyanion -protein system (at least in the ferric derivative at acid pH). Apart from the physiological relevance of these effects, su...