Adrenaline, permeable cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) derivatives and insulin are known to elicit an increase in quantal size at the frog neuromuscular junction, primarily by increasing the amount of acetylcholine (ACh) per quantum. The quantal size increases produced by adrenaline or cAMP were antagonized by the protein kinase inhibitor H8 N-[2-(methylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolonesulfonamide. The increase in quantal size produced by insulin was not prevented by H8. Quantal size is also increased by pretreatment in hypertonic solution; this increase was also antagonized by H8. The H8 did not alter the increase in miniature endplate potential (MEPP) frequency produced by the hypertonic solution. A permeable cGMP derivative had no effect on quantal size. The diastereomer (Sp)-cAMPS (cyclic 3',5'-phosphothoate) activates protein kinase A(PKA). It elicited an increase in quantal size. The (Rp)-cAMPS isomer is known to inhibit PKA; it had no effect on quantal size. The increase in quantal size produced by hypertonic solution was antagonized by (Rp)-cAMPS but not by (Sp)-cAMPS. Brief exposure to a hypertonic solution containing a phosphodiesterase inhibitor followed by incubation in the inhibitor leads to an increase in quantal size. We conclude that one pathway for signaling for an increase in quantal size involves activation of PKA and that hypertonic pretreatment acts via this pathway.