Flavodoxins play central roles in the electron transfer involving various biological processes in microorganisms. The mioC gene of Escherichia coli encodes a 16-kDa flavodoxin and locates next to the chromosomal replication initiation origin (oriC). Extensive researches have been carried out to investigate the relationship between mioC transcription and replication initiation. Recently, the MioC protein was proposed to be essential for the biotin synthase activity in vitro. Nevertheless, the exact role of MioC in biotin synthesis and its physiological function in vivo remain elusive. In order to understand the molecular basis of the biological functions of MioC and the cofactor-binding mechanisms of flavodoxins, we have determined the solution structures of both the apo-and holo-forms of E. coli MioC protein at high resolution by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The overall structures of both forms consist of an ␣/ sandwich, which highly resembles the classical flavodoxin fold. However, significant diversities are observed between the two forms, especially the stabilization of the FMN-binding loops and the notable extension of secondary structures upon FMN binding. Structural comparison reveals fewer negative charged and aromatic residues near the FMN-binding site of MioC, as compared with that of flavodoxin 1 from E. coli, which may affect both the redox potentials and the redox partner interactions. Furthermore, the backbone dynamics studies reveal the conformational flexibility at different time scales for both apo-and holo-forms of MioC, which may play important roles for cofactor binding and electron transfer.Flavodoxins are small FMN-binding proteins found mainly in prokaryotes that are involved in the electron transfer chain reactions of various biological processes, including photosynthesis (1, 2), nitrate reduction (3), methionine synthesis (4 -7), biotin synthesis (8 -11), and activation of certain enzymes, such as pyruvate-formate lyase (13) and (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbutyl-2-enyl pyrophosphate synthase (14). It has been established by potentiometry that electrons flow from NADPH to flavodoxin reductase and then to flavodoxin, which subsequently transfers the electron to the downstream targets (15). Eukaryotes and most prokaryotes also contain proteins carrying domains homologous to flavodoxins and flavodoxin reductase in a single polypeptide chain, such as the NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CPR) 2 (16, 17), nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) (18), methionine synthase reductase (19), and sulfite reductase (20,21). These domains function in a similar fashion as the flavodoxins and flavodoxin reductase proteins in prokaryotic cells. Extensive efforts have been devoted to understanding the cofactor binding, redox partner interaction, and electron transfer mechanisms of flavodoxins and flavodoxinlike domains as well as the folding and stability of these proteins (22-26). However, the detailed mechanisms are not clear yet and remain to be further elucidated.Flavodoxins are classified into the long-...