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.