ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) channels are regulated by a variety of cytosolic factors (adenine nucleotides, Mg2؉ , phospholipids, and pH). We previously reported that K ATP channels are also regulated by endogenous membrane-bound SNARE protein syntaxin-1A (Syn-1A), which binds both nucleotide-binding folds of sulfonylurea receptor (SUR)1 and 2A, causing inhibition of K ATP channel activity in pancreatic islet -cells and cardiac myocytes, respectively. In this study, we show that ATP dose-dependently inhibits Syn-1A binding to SUR1 at physiological concentrations, with the addition of Mg 2؉ causing a decrease in the ATP-induced inhibitory effect. This ATP disruption of Syn-1A binding to SUR1 was confirmed by FRET analysis in living HEK293 cells. Electrophysiological studies in pancreatic -cells demonstrated that reduced ATP concentrations increased K ATP channel sensitivity to Syn-1A inhibition. Depletion of endogenous Syn-1A in insulinoma cells by botulinum neurotoxin C1 proteolysis followed by rescue with exogenous Syn-1A showed that Syn-1A modulates K ATP channel sensitivity to ATP. Thus, our data indicate that although both ATP and Syn-1A independently inhibit -cell K ATP channel gating, they could also influence the sensitivity of K ATP channels to each other. These findings provide new insight into an alternate mechanism by which ATP regulates pancreatic -cell K ATP channel activity, not only by its direct actions on Kir6.2 pore subunit, but also via ATP modulation of Syn-1A binding to SUR1.The ATP-sensitive potassium (K ATP ) 3 channel couples intracellular metabolic changes to plasma membrane electrical activity in many cell types (1-3). In pancreatic -cells, increase in ATP/ADP ratio from glucose metabolism closes plasma membrane K ATP channels, causing membrane depolarization that leads to opening of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels. Ensuing calcium influx triggers exocytosis of docked and primed insulin granules in part by acting on the exocytic SNARE (soluble NSF attachment protein receptor) complex (4). The pancreatic -cell K ATP channel is a heterooctamer of pore-forming Kir 6.2 and regulatory sulfonylurea receptor 1 (SUR1) subunits, with a 4:4 stoichiometry (5-7). SURs are members of the ATP-binding cassette protein superfamily (8), including cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and P-glycoprotein/MDR1 (multidrug resistance 1). These ATP-binding cassette proteins uniformly contain two nucleotide-binding folds (NBF1 and NBF2), with each NBF containing Walker A and B motifs, which are sites of the action by adenine nucleotides. Regulation of K ATP channels by adenine nucleotides is complex, with ATP and ADP having both stimulatory and inhibitory effects (9 -11). Structure-function studies have demonstrated that ATP inhibits channel activity by interactions with Kir6.2 (12), whereas ADP acts on the SUR subunit to stimulate channel activity in an Mg 2ϩ -dependent manner (13). The importance of SUR1 as a regulator of K ATP channel activity is demonstrated by the fact th...