The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of phospholipase C-delta 1 (PLC-delta 1) binds to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) in phospholipid membranes with an affinity (Ka approximately 10(6) M-1) and specificity comparable to those of the native enzyme. PLC-delta 1 and its PH domain also bind inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, the polar head group of PI(4,5)P2, with comparable affinity and approximately 1:1 stoichiometry. A peptide corresponding to amino acids 30-43 of the PLC-delta 1 PH domain contains several basic residues predicted to bind PI(4,5)P2, but binds weakly and with little specificity for PI(4,5)P2; hence the tertiary structure of the isolated PH domain is required for high affinity PI(4,5)P2 binding. Our PI-(4,5)P2 binding results support the hypothesis that the intact PH domain, serving as a specific tether, directs PLC-delta 1 to membranes enriched in PI(4,5)P2 and permits the active site, located elsewhere in the protein, to hydrolyze multiple substrate molecules before this enzyme dissociates from the membrane surface.