Phospholipase C (PLC) activation in neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (NRVM) generates inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P(3)) in response to elevations in Ca(2+) or inositol(1,4)bisphosphate in response to G protein stimulation. Overexpression of PLCdelta(1) increased total [(3)H]inositol phosphate (InsP) content and elevated [(3)H]Ins(1,4,5)P(3), but failed to increase [(3)H]InsP responses to the Ca(2+) ionophore A23187. Antisense PLCdelta(1) expression reduced endogenous PLCdelta(1) content but did not decrease the A23187 response. In permeabilized NRVM, [(3)H]InsP responses to elevated Ca(2+) were not inhibited by Ins(1,4,5)P(3), even at concentrations 1000-fold greater than required for selective inhibition of PLCdelta(1). Taken together these data provide evidence that PLCdelta(1) does not mediate the InsP response to elevated Ca(2+) in NRVM.