Painful axotomy decreases KATP channel current (IKATP) in primary afferent neurons. Because cytosolic Ca 2؉ signaling is depressed in injured dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons, we investigated whether Ca 2؉ -calmodulin (CaM)-Ca 2؉ /CaM-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) regulates IK ATP in large DRG neurons. Immunohistochemistry identified the presence of K ATP channel subunits SUR1, SUR2, and Kir6.2 but not Kir6.1, and pCaMKII in neurofilament 200 -positive DRG somata. Single-channel recordings from cell-attached patches revealed that basal and evoked IK ATP by ionomycin, a Ca 2؉ ionophore, is activated by CaMKII. In axotomized neurons from rats made hyperalgesic by spinal nerve ligation (SNL), basal K ATP channel activity was decreased, and sensitivity to ionomycin was abolished. Basal and Ca 2؉ -evoked K ATP channel activity correlated inversely with the degree of hyperalgesia induced by SNL in the rats from which the neurons were isolated. Inhibition of IK ATP by glybenclamide, a selective KATP channel inhibitor, depolarized resting membrane potential (RMP) recorded in perforated whole-cell patches and enhanced neurotransmitter release measured by amperometry. The selective K ATP channel opener diazoxide hyperpolarized the RMP and attenuated neurotransmitter release. Axotomized neurons from rats made hyperalgesic by SNL lost sensitivity to the myristoylated form of autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide (AIPm), a pseudosubstrate blocker of CaMKII, whereas axotomized neurons from SNL animals that failed to develop hyperalgesia showed normal IK ATP inhibition by AIPm. AIPm also depolarized RMP in control neurons via K ATP channel inhibition. Unitary current conductance and sensitivity of K ATP channels to cytosolic ATP and ligands were preserved even after painful nerve injury, thus providing opportunities for selective therapeutic targeting against neuropathic pain.calcium ͉ calmodulin ͉ potassium channels ͉ dorsal root ganglia ͉ neuropathic pain A fter peripheral nerve injury, phenotypic changes in axons and the corresponding somata in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) lead to membrane hyperexcitability, which results in neuropathic pain (1, 2). These alterations include decreased Ca 2ϩ influx via voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC), reduced [Ca 2ϩ ] i , and diminished Ca 2ϩ -induced Ca 2ϩ release (3, 4). Additionally, ATPsensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels in large axotomized DRG neurons from rats with hyperalgesia exhibit decreased opening (5, 6). K ATP channels in cardiac myocytes and pancreatic -cells are modulated by cytosolic Ca 2ϩ (7,8), but it remains unknown whether Ca 2ϩ affects neuronal K ATP channels.Cytosolic Ca 2ϩ regulates neuronal channels and other targets via multiple mechanisms (9), including the Ca 2ϩ -calmodulin (CaM)-Ca 2ϩ /CaM-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) pathway (10). CaMKII, which is abundant in neurons (11), assembles into a dodecameric holoenzymatic structure (12, 13). Ca 2ϩ /CaM activates CaMKII subunits, triggering autophosphorylation at T286 residues (14) that increase the affinit...