In human deoxy haemoglobin, the alpha 42(C7)Tyr-residue is hydrogen-bonded to beta 99(G1)Asp which stabilizes the low-oxygen-affinity deoxy conformation. We engineered a haemoglobin with Tyr for Phe at the homologous C7 position in beta-chains. The oxygen affinity of the variant is decreased about two-fold relative to Hb A while keeping similar KR and KT values. This mutant may be a candidate for the development of an artificial oxygen carrier, as it would not require an external effector for significant oxygen unloading in vivo.