The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C family. Members in this family, classified into six isotypes that are tissue- and organ-specific, hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate just before the phosphate group to yield diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. This protein localizes to the acrosome in spermatozoa and elicits Ca(2+) oscillations and egg activation during fertilization that leads to early embryonic development. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2012].
Janghorban-Laricheh, Ghazavi-Khorasgani, Tavalaee, Zohrabi, Abbasi, Nasr-Esfahani: "An association between sperm PLCζ levels and varicocele?" in: Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics, (2016) (PubMed).
Kamali-Dolat Abadi, Tavalaee, Shahverdi, Nasr-Esfahani: "Evaluation of PLCζ and PAWP Expression in Globozoospermic Individuals." in: Cell journal, Vol. 18, Issue 3, pp. 438-45, (2016) (PubMed).