Cross-linking of surface Ig receptors (sIg) by mitogenic forms of anti-Ig antibodies (e.g. F(ab')2 fragments of rabbit anti-Ig) causes the rapid, and prolonged breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. This response involves an unidentified guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (termed Gp), which couples sIg to the polyphosphoinositide-specific phosphodiesterase. Intact (IgG) rabbit anti-Ig antibodies, which co-cross-link sIg and Fc gamma receptors on B cells, only induce short-lived inositol phospholipid breakdown and abortive B cell activation. We show here that in permeabilized B cells intact anti-Ig inhibits the reconstituted breakdown of inositol phospholipids given by a combination of F(ab')2 anti-Ig and the non-hydrolyzable GTP analogue guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP gamma S), but not the basal stimulation of Gp induced by GTP gamma S alone. These results therefore indicate that co-cross-linkage of sIg and Fc gamma receptors on B cells uncouples the antigen receptors from the associated G protein, but does not affect coupling between Gp and the phosphodiesterase. These observations therefore provide further insight into the mechanisms whereby engaging Fc receptors on B cells, by antigen-antibody complexes for example, could modulate antigen-induced B cell activation.