The V 0 V 1 -ATPase of Thermus thermophilus catalyzes ATP synthesis coupled with proton translocation. It consists of an ATPase-active V 1 part (ABDF) and a proton channel V 0 part (CLEGI), but the arrangement of each subunit is still largely unknown. Here we found that acid treatment of V 0 V 1 -ATPase induced its dissociation into two subcomplexes, one with subunit composition ABDFCL and the other with EGI. Exposure of the isolated V 0 to acid or 8 M urea also produced two subcomplexes, EGI and CL. Thus, the C subunit (homologue of d subunit, yeast Vma6p) associates with the L subunit ring tightly, and I (homologue of 100-kDa subunit, yeast Vph1p), E, and G subunits constitute a stable complex. Based on these observations and our recent demonstration that D, F, and L subunits rotate relative to A 3 B 3 (Imamura, H., Nakano, M., Noji, H., Muneyuki, E., Ohkuma, S., Yoshida, M., and Yokoyama, K. V 0 V 1 -ATPases (V-ATPases) are the ATPase/ATP synthase superfamily that catalyzes the exchange of the energy between proton translocation across membranes and the energy of ATP hydrolysis/synthesis (1-3). They are widely distributed in different types of eukaryotic cells and some bacteria (2, 4). In eukaryotic cells, V 0 V 1 -ATPases exist in both intracellular compartments and plasma membranes, and are responsible for the acidification of intracellular compartments, renal acidification, born resorption, and tumor metastasis (2). On the other hand, most prokaryotic V 0 V 1 -ATPases produce ATP using the energy of a transmembrane proton electrochemical gradient that is generated by a respiratory chain (4, 5).The overall structure of V 0 V 1 -ATPases is similar to that of F 0 F 1 -ATPases (␣ 3  3 ␥ 1 ␦ 1 ⑀ 1 a 1 b 2 c 10Ϫ14 ), which are responsible for ATP synthesis in mitochondria, chloroplast, and plasma membranes of eubacteria (3, 6). Both are composed of two functional domains, the peripheral catalytic V 1 or F 1 and a membrane embedded ion translocating domain called V 0 or F 0 .The structure and subunit arrangements of F 0 F 1 -ATPases are well characterized. The x-ray structure of F 1 revealed a hexamer of alternating ␣ and  surrounding a central cavity containing a highly ␣-helical ␥ subunit (7). The ␥ and ⑀ subunit constituted a central shaft, which directly contacted with the c subunit ring in F 0 (8). The b subunit has a hydrophobic Nterminal domain anchored in the membrane, and a hydrophilic C-terminal domain forms an elongated peripheral stalk that interacts with the F 1 moiety as a stator (9). The a subunit in F 0 , which consists of a stator part together with b subunits, is situated peripherally to the c subunit ring and plays a crucial role in the proton translocation (3, 10, 11).Like the F 0 F 1 -ATPases, the peripheral V 1 part contains a catalytic core, which is composed of three copies each of A and B subunits. The A subunit contains a catalytic site, and the A and B subunits are arranged alternately, forming a hexameric cylinder. The D subunit, which fills the central cavity of the A 3 B 3 cylinder...