The role of phosphatidylinositol turnover in nuclei

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We report that male mice in which the phospholipase C (PLC) δ4 gene was disrupted either produced few small litters or were sterile. In vitro fertilization studies showed that insemination with PLCδ4^<-/-> sperm resulted in significantly fewer eggs becoming activated and, more importantly, the calcium transients associated with fertilization were absent or extremely delayed. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that PLCδ4^<-/-> sperm were unable to initiate/complete the acrosome reaction, an exocytotic event required for fertilization and induced by interaction with the egg coat, the zona pellucida. These data show for the first time a physiological function of a PLCδ type, and demonstrate that PLCδ4 plays a significant role in the zona pellucida-induced acrosome reaction during mammalian fertilization.