Proteolytic digestion and CD measurement of wild-type and mutant cyclic AMP receptor proteins (CRPs) were performed either in the presence or absence of cyclic nucleotide. Results indicated that transition of a structural change to the hinge region by the binding of cAMP to the anti site was required for the binding of cAMP to the syn site near the hinge region and, although the occupancy of cAMP in the anti site increased the protein stability, CRP adopted more a stable conformation by the binding of cAMP to the syn site.