'P-nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy has been employed to probe the structure of the detergentsolubilized form of liver microsomal NADPH -cytochrome-P-450 reductase. In addition to the resonances due to the FMN and FAD coenzymes, additional phosphorus resonances are observed and are assigned to the tightly bound adenosine 2'-phosphate (2'-AMP) and to phospholipids. The phospholipid content was found to vary with the preparation; however, the 2'-AMP resonance was observed in all preparations tested. In agreement with published results [Otvos et al. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 7220 -72281 for the protease-solubilized enzyme, the addition of Mn(I1) to the oxidized enzyme did not result in any observable line-broadening of the FMN and FAD phosphorus resonances. The phospholipid resonances, however, were extensively broadened and the line width of the phosphorus resonance assigned to the bound 2'-AMP was broadened by z 70 Hz. The data show that only the phosphorus moieties of the phospholipids and the 2'-AMP, but not the flavin coenzymes are exposed to the bulk solvent. Removal of the FMN moiety from the enzyme substantially alters the 31P-NMR spectrum as compared with the native enzyme. ferredoxin-NADP' reductase (EC 1.18.1.2). P-450. During this electron transfer, the FAD and FMN coenzymes function at both semiquinone and hydroquinone redox levels.31P-NMR spectroscopy is a powerful technique to investigate the environments of phosphorus groups in proteins and has been profitably used to study the flavin coenzyme and protein-bound phosphorus residues in Megasphaera elsdenii flavodoxin [18], Aspergillus niger glucose oxidase [19], bovine milk xanthine oxidase [20], and Azotobucter vinelandii flavodoxin [21, 221. Otvos et al. [23] have recently investigated the properties of the bound flavin phosphates in the proteolytically solubilized form of the P-450 reductase, by 31P NMR. The work reported here, on the detergent-solubilized form of the reductase, represents an extension of their published studies.In addition, it is of importance to compare the properties of the two forms in as much as the detergent-solubilized enzyme retains activity in the cytochrome P-450 assay while the proteolytically solubilized form does not [16, 171. As documented in this paper, the most significant difference in the 31P-NMR spectral properties of the two forms of the enzyme is that the FMN phosphorus resonance is extensively broadened on formation of the air-stable FMN