Elements responsible for the transcriptional activity of the human ATP synthase beta-subunit (ATPsyn beta) gene promoter have been studied through transient expression in HepG2 hepatoma cells of a CAT gene connected with various 5'-deletion mutants of the 5'-flanking region. Promoter activity was mostly dependent upon a single CCAAT motif as well as a nearby Ets domain binding region. This last region contains two sites that bind Ets-related proteins present in liver nuclear extracts as well as recombinant purified Ets-1 protein. The ATPsyn beta promoter was trans-activated by Ets-1 and Ets-2 expression vectors, and this effect was lost when the Ets binding region was deleted. The Ets binding region of the ATPsyn beta promoter increased basal expression and conferred Ets-1- and Ets-2-dependent trans-activation to the herpes symplex thymidine kinase minimal promoter. A double-point mutation of the main Ets-binding site, which suppresses Ets binding, blocks Ets-dependent trans-activation. It is concluded that the gene for the mitochondrial ATPsyn beta is a target of transcriptional activation by members of the Ets family of transcription factors. It is suggested that Ets transcription factors may be involved in the enhanced expression of the ATPsyn beta gene in highly proliferating cells and in the coordinate transcription of nuclear genes for mitochondrial proteins.