Salivary secretion of proteins from rat submandibular glands was studied using graded stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve in isolation, and then at a fixed rate in combination with graded sympathetic nerve stimulation. Increasing the frequency of parasympathetic nerve stimulation per se caused a gradual increase in the secretion of peroxidase (from acini) but only small increases in proteinase (from ductal cells) and IgA outputs. Dual stimulations, with an increasing frequency of sympathetic nerve stimulation on a background of low frequency parasympathetic nerve stimulation, showed that maximal acinar secretion of peroxidase required only a low frequency of additional sympathetic stimulation, whereas ductal secretion of kallikrein was greatest with the highest frequency of additional sympathetic stimulation (20 Hz in bursts). IgA secretion also required high frequency additional sympathetic stimulation in bursts for greatest output. Although a synergism occurred with parasympathetic plus sympathetic nerve stimulation for the secretion of both peroxidase and kallikrein it was not evident for the secretion of IgA. This presumably reflects a difference for exocytosis of proteins stored in granules (e.g. peroxidase and kallikrein) compared to those proteins continuously transported across the plasma membrane in vesicles by transcytosis. This work confirms that vesicular movement of secretory IgA can be increased by both parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve stimulation, but the frequency parameters differ for each nerve. Experimental Physiology (2000) 85.3, 281-286.