Trifluoroethanol-induced conformational change of tetrameric and monomeric soybean agglutinin: Role of structural organization and implication for protein folding and stability

► Comparison of TFE-induced conformational transition for SBA tetramer and monomer. ► Evidence for nonnative states such as typical β-sheet and α-helix. ► Reduced thermal stability of all nonnative states compared to the native conformer. ► Concomitant quaternary/tertiary structure change with secondary structure changes. ► Implications for non-hierarchical model of protein folding.