The diadenosine polyphosphates, diadenosine tetraphosphate and diadenosine pentaphosphate (Ap5A), can activate an ionotropic dinucleotide receptor that induces Ca2+ transients into synaptosomes prepared from rat brain. This receptor, also termed the P4 purinoceptor, is sensitive only to adenine dinucleotides and is insensitive to ATP. Studies on the modulatory role of protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and protein phosphatases on the response of diadenosine polyphosphate receptors were performed by measuring the changes in the intracellular Ca2+ levels with fura-2. Activation and inhibition of PKA were carried out by means of forskolin and the PKA inhibitory peptide (PKA-IP), respectively. The Ap5A response was inhibited by forksolin to 35% of control values, but PKA-IP induced an increase of 37%. The effect of PKC activation was similar to that observed for PKA. PKC stimulation with phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate produced an inhibition of 67%, whereas the PKC inhibitors staurosporine and PKC inhibitory peptide enhanced the responses elicited by Ap5A to 40% in both cases. Protein phosphatase inhibitors diminished the responses elicited by Ap5A to 17% in the case of okadaic acid, to 50% for microcystin, and to 45% in the case of cyclosporin A. Thus, the activity of dinucleotide receptors in rat brain synaptosomes appears to be modulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation. These processes could be of physiological significance in the control of transmitter release from neurons that are postsynaptic to nerves that release diadenosine polyphosphates.