Mechanisms of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression include control of initiation of translation and regulation of mRNA degradation. Among the best-studied models for these processes is regulation of proteins involved in iron homeostasis. These control mechanisms involve functional iron-responsive elements (IREs) in the 5¢-UTRs or 3¢-UTRs of mRNAs that interact with iron regulatory proteins (IRPs), depending upon the amount of iron present in the cell. Two IRPs have been identified: IRP-1, which contains a 4Fe)4S iron-sulfur cluster [1], and IRP-2, which does not [2,3]. IRP-1 has 30% amino acid identity to mitochondrial aconitase [4], a 4Fe)4S enzyme involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. IRP-1 is generally believed to interconvert between an enzymatically inactive IRE-binding state and a nonbinding form with aconitase activity, the latter requiring an intact 4Fe-4S cluster. Thus, the simple model for iron sensing by IRP-1 involves direct association of iron with the ironsulfur center to form a complete 4Fe)4S cluster.A linkage between cellular iron levels and energy metabolism is suggested by the influence of agents that Iron regulatory protein-1 binding to the iron-responsive element of mRNA is sensitive to iron, oxidative stress, NO, and hypoxia. Each of these agents changes the level of intracellular ATP, suggesting a link between iron levels and cellular energy metabolism. Furthermore, restoration of iron regulatory protein-1 aconitase activity after NO removal has been shown to require mitochondrial ATP. We demonstrate here that the iron-responsive element-binding activity of iron regulatory protein is ATP-dependent in HepG2 cells. Iron cannot decrease iron regulatory protein binding activity in cell extracts if they are simultaneously treated with an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. Physiologic concentrations of ATP inhibit ironresponsive element ⁄ iron regulatory protein binding in cell extracts and binding of iron-responsive element to recombinant iron regulatory protein-1. ADP has the same effect, in contrast to the nonhydrolyzable analog adenosine 5¢-(b,c-imido)triphosphate, indicating that in order to inhibit iron regulatory protein-1 binding activity, ATP must be hydrolyzed. Abbreviations AMP-PNP, adenosine 5¢-(b,c-imido)triphosphate; ATP-cS, adenosine 5¢-O-(3-thiotriphosphate); CCCP, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone; EMSA, electrophoretic mobility shift assay; IRE, iron-responsive element; IRP, iron regulatory protein.