F1-ATPase assembly has been studied in human °c ells devoid of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Since, in these cells, oxidative phosphorylation cannot provide ATP, their growth relies on glycolysis. Despite the absence of the mtDNA-coded F0 subunits 6 and 8, °cells possessed normal levels of F1-ATPase ␣ and  subunits. This F1-ATPase was functional and azide-or aurovertinsensitive but oligomycin-insensitive. In addition, aurovertin decreased cell growth in °cells and also reduced their mitochondrial membrane potential, as measured by rhodamine 123 fluorescence. Therefore, a functional F1-ATPase was important to maintain the mitochondrial membrane potential and the growth of these °c ells. Bongkrekic acid, a specific adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) inhibitor, also reduced °cell growth and mitochondrial membrane potential. In conclusion, °cells need both a functional F1-ATPase and a functional ANT to maintain their mitochondrial membrane potential, which is necessary for their growth. ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by F1 must provide ADP 3؊ at a sufficient rate to maintain a rapid exchange with the glycolytic ATP 4؊ by ANT, this electrogenic exchange inducing a mitochondrial membrane potential efficient enough to sustain cell growth. However, since the effects of bongkrekic acid and of aurovertin were additive, other electrogenic pumps should cooperate with this pathway.The biogenesis of mitochondrial proteins is controlled by both nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. The proteins coded by the mtDNA are subunits of enzyme complexes involved in oxidative phosphorylation. Since all these complexes also contain proteins coded by the nuclear genome, mechanisms regulating the coordinated expression and assembly of the subunits of nuclear and mitochondrial origin must exist. In yeast cells, nuclear DNA-coded components continue to be synthesized and imported into mitochondria, even when the synthesis of mtDNA-coded subunits is blocked (cf. for review, Refs. 1 and 2). The groups of Schatz and co-workers (3) and Neupert (4) have shown that a mitochondrial membrane potential is a key requirement for protein import into mitochondria (5). In normal cells, the mitochondrial membrane potential is mainly maintained by transmembrane proton pumping occurring during electron transfer or during ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by the ATPase-ATP synthase. In °cells depleted of mtDNA, these complexes cannot be functional since all complexes involved in proton pumping contain mtDNA-coded subunits (6). However, proteins of nuclear origin are imported into the °cell mitochondria (7). Therefore, the mitochondrial membrane potential must be maintained by other electrogenic pumps. In yeast, it has been suggested that the adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) 1 mediates an exchange of ATP 4Ϫ synthesized in the cytosol during glycolysis for ADP 3Ϫ to maintain this mitochondrial membrane potential (8). However, the exact mechanism that maintains this potential has not been thoroughly investigated. Since the mtDNA-coded subunits are essential components for ...