The expression and inducibility of cytochrome P450IA1 isozyme was investigated in the human carcinoma cell line Caco-2 cultured between days 7 and 35 in the absence or the presence of various enzyme inducers such as 3-methylcholanthrene, beta-naphthoflavone (beta NF), dioxin, isosafrole, rifampycin, dexamethasone or phenobarbital. 7-Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity (EROD) was maximal at day 25 when the differentiation of Caco-2 cells, characterized by the level of the brush border associated enzymes such as sucrase isomaltase and alkaline phosphatase, was higher. The inducibility of this enzyme activity was found to be maximal when cells were treated between days 7 and 10. After a 3-day treatment of Caco-2 cells with 50 microM beta NF, EROD achieved 36.6 +/- 14.6 pmol/min/mg compared to 2.5 +/- 1.1 pmol/min/mg in untreated cells. This enzyme activity appeared to be supported only by P450IA1 isozyme because: 1) EROD was quantitatively inhibited by alpha-naphthoflavone, a P450IA1-specific inhibitor; otherwise, phenacetin O-deethylation was completely abolished in the presence of alpha-naphthoflavone and not by furafylline, a P450IA2-specific inhibitor; 2) EROD was induced after treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene, beta NF and dioxin, which are P450IA1 inducers, but not by isosafrole, a P450IA2-specific inducer; 3) cytochrome P450IA1 apoprotein could be immunodetected by antibodies directed against rabbit cytochrome P450-LM6, orthologous to P450IA1, in polycyclic hydrocarbon-treated cells; 4) under the latter conditions, P450IA1 mRNA accumulation was specifically detected, but not P450IA2 mRNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)