Two phases of inositol polyphosphate and diacylglycerol production at fertilisation

[3H]Inositol and [3H]arachidonic acid were used to label polyphosphoinositide phospholipids in sea urchin eggs. Both [3H]inositol polyphosphate (InsP3) and [3H]diacylglycerol (DAG) increase at fertilisation. An early increase in InsP3 occurs as the sperm-induced calcium transient crosses the egg and exocytosis occurs; a later increase in InsP3 as calcium declines and the protein kinase C-dependent Na/H antiporter causes the cytoplasmic pH in increase. These results support suggestions that a calcium-induced hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate occurs at fertilisation, that the production of diacylglycerol may be essential for exocytosis and that diacylglycerol production at fertilisation stimulates the Na/H antiporter. The increase in [3H]inositol polyphosphate as calcium declines indicates that this second messenger may have some function later in the cell cycle.